A Silver Lining
by Fader28
Summary: Cora has been in Cheyenne, WY since the start. She has adapted to this dangerous world with the teachings from her Uncle and the instinct to keep her little sister safe. When bounty hunters looking for 'The Murphy' bring chaos to Cora's town, she runs into a special group. Although she helps them out, she is weary of letting them become too close to herself and her sister.
1. The Murphy

**A/N:** This story will start in season two. I will follow the plot but maybe not the direct timeline. As always, I don't own anything Z-Nation related, only my characters. I hope you guys enjoy, please let me know what you think.

I sat on a pile of old blankets by the door to the small bunker as I watched my 11 year old sister sleep on an even smaller cot. I had the radio turned up just enough so that I could hear it but it wouldn't wake Mia. It was mainly silence with the occasional static. I tiredly twisted the brown nob, back and forth, back and forth but I still received nothing.

I heard Mia cough in her sleep and I crawled over to check on her. She was sick and I wasn't sure how much longer she could tough it out in this kind of world. I knew it, she knew it and God knew it.

We had been in this bunker for about a week now. Previously, we were staying in my Uncle's old farm house but moved to his underground bunker when the sky started to turn black. From what little I gathered from my radio this week, it had been some sort of nuclear fallout.

My Uncle was a great guy who lived Cheyenne, Wyoming. Mia and I would come here to spend our summers. Our mother constantly traveled for work and our father was completely absent in our lives. Being sent to Cheyenne every summer was something that we both looked forward to. Even though this town was once a busy city, there was still a country feel to the place and my Uncle owned one of the farm houses on the outskirts of town.

Mia and I had been visiting here when the whole world went to shit. At first we thought it was just Wyoming, but the disturbing clips on the television showed that it was everywhere. The internet and news stations were still up and running though the beginning of the hell rising. It showed the disasters taking place throughout the country but then tried to ensure us that they had everything under control. It was reported that a plane traveling from London to the States crashed due to an outbreak, my mother was on that plane.

My Uncle taught us everything that we needed to know. I was good with a knife, and could shoot when I needed to. My favorite weapon was a staff that I made from the handle of an old shovel. It was thick and did the job. Before my Uncle was lost in Black Summer from a heart attack, he taught me how to grow some of my own vegetables, and Mia how to cook without sending out strong smells and attracting unwanted guests.

I remember years ago that some people made fun of my Uncle for being a Doomsday prepper, but I've seen those not so lucky people recently and I had to give them mercy. The bunker that my Uncle installed was just a few feet into the woods behind the property. It was a round entrance that you had to jump into. The only thing down here was some canned food, jugs of water and one small cot but in a world like this, this was 5 stars. The door was almost impossible to open when there was someone inside who activated all of the locks. I felt safe here.

As I drifted off to sleep on the pile of blankets, I was startled by a clear voice coming through the radio. It was more people talking about 'The Murphy" and I couldn't give a shit less. I wanted to hear some good news for once.

I shut off the radio and the small lantern, letting myself fall asleep.


	2. White Light

"Cora, do you hear that?" I was being shaken awake by Mia, who was carefully listening to the gunfire outside.

"It sounds like a war is going on. Nothing new." I mumbled, turning over.

"Cora." She stated with a huff.

I rolled my eyes, the good thing about sleeping in a bunker is that you could actually sleep without too many interruptions.

"I know, it is a lot more shooting than normal. It's going to attract all the dead in hearing radius." I sat up and pressed my ear to the cold metal door.

"What should we do?" Mia asked, fumbling with the strings of her hoodie.

There really wasn't much for us to do. We came down here because of a nuclear explosion and I had only popped my head out a few times since then. I knew we were going to have to make our way back to the house soon and continue to survive the way we had been for the past few years. However, during the middle of what sounded like a war, wasn't the best time.

"Mia, I'll go check it out but you have to stay here for now." I explained.

"Why can't I just come with you? I want to go back to the house and I think those carrots need to be cooked or eaten before they go bad." She whined.

Mia was beyond her years but I guess we all had to be in a time like this.

"I'll grab you the carrots on my way back. I'm just going to quickly check the house and see if I can make out what's going on, then I'll be right back." I pulled on my brown boots and laced them tight.

I smoothed over my black faded jeans and buttoned up my dark brown flannel. I started up the small ladder and began undoing all the locks to the bunker door. Once it was ready to be opened, I grabbed my pistol, hooking it to my belt and Mia handed me the staff.

"You remember how to lock these right?" I looked down at her.

She smiled that goofy smile and put her hands on her hips. "Duh." It was good to see that she still had some childlike innocence to her.

I shook my head and carefully pushed the heavy metal door open. My dark green eyes scanned the area around me to make sure it was clear. When I was satisfied, I hopped out of our hole, "remember the knock." I whispered as I shut the door and covered it with twigs and leaves.

The sunlight was bright and it took a few long moments for my eyes to adjust. I gripped my staff with one hand and kept my other close to my pistol. I crept forward towards the entrance of the woods. I could see our home and to my relief, it looked untouched and unharmed. I quietly made my way a crossed the backyard, keeping low to the ground and trying to go undetected from any unknown eyes watching this area. As I got closer to the house I heard more gun shots raining out in the distance.

After a few more quick steps I was leaning with my back against the old white siding of the farm house. Looking each direction to confirm that I wasn't being followed. I made my way up the back steps and used the key from my belt to open the door.

I know it almost seems pointless to lock doors these days but to me it was still a good idea. If you were inside, you would hear if someone was breaking in and if you were coming home, you would be able to tell if the door had been messed with.

I closed and locked the door behind me. Everything was the way Mia and I left it. It was a clean home with large paneled wood floors. We made sure to keep our food, weapons and other objects out of sight from the windows. This was in case someone looked inside, they would assume the place had already been worked over or it was just vacant since the beginning.

I took a minute to clear the bottom floor before I ascended the steps and cleared the bedrooms. I went to my Uncles old bedroom and squatted by the window, making sure I wasn't going to be seen. I picked up the binoculars that I kept there and studied the area where the shots were coming from.

The main part of town could be seen from the window but buildings, trees and hills made it hard to make out what was going on. It wasn't really groups of people fighting the dead, but instead it was groups of people fighting each other, then turning into the dead and then having to fight the dead.

It looked like they were pretty preoccupied so I grabbed a bag and started stuffing a few essentials inside. I made my way back downstairs and to the kitchen. I opened the cabinet and grabbed what was left of the Advil. By the time I was done the bullets seemed to cease. I locked the door and quickly went around to the side of the house. I lifted a tarp and grabbed the bunch of carrots that Mia was so desperately worried about.

I was about to head back to the bunker when I head a vehicle being driven down the road out front. The white van tinkered out as it was trying to make it over the hill. I ducked down next to the vegetable garden and peeked around the wood, keeping my eyes peeled for any sign of danger.


	3. Meetings

I was nervous. I watched the group of people carefully as they piled out of the van. The red haired female took out a few undead with her baseball bat. She was definitely harboring some anger but I couldn't complain because she got rid of the wandering zombies. An older man with white hair and another women started to look around at the abandoned cars. So far they didn't look like bad people but that many people against only one of me was always a bad thing.

As I continued to watch the group I got a strange feeling that I was also being watched. I stood up, gripping my staff tighter and slowly backed away towards the backyard.

Before I knew it, I was bumping into something solid. I turned around and jabbed the staff forcefully in reflex.

A guy who looked about my age grabbed his stomach in pain and let out some heavy coughs.

"Who are you?" I asked.

He looked up at me from his crouching position with wide eyes.

"Look, I'm sorry. You scared me." I felt bad for hurting him but he may have been trying to hurt me.

He gained his composure and stood up straight. He was taller than me and he held a large rifle in front of him.

"My group, our van broke down. We were just looking for anything useful." He explained, motioning towards the white vehicle.

I didn't say anything at first, I just studied his facial expression for any hint of untruthfulness. "Why don't you look somewhere else?"

He shrugged, "because our van broke down here."

"I guess that's an okay answer…" I replied.

"We aren't going to hurt you." He reassured me as he slung his rifle behind his back and held his hands up slightly.

"So, what seems to be wrong with the van?" I asked.

He started to walk towards his group and motioned for me to follow. I stayed still, worried about all the negative outcomes.

He stopped when he noticed I wasn't following. "I think we need to pour some water in it to cool it down."

"I guess I could help with that." I finally smiled at him.

I thought about the water that Mia and I still had stored. We started off with a ton of prepared jugs but as we were getting low, we began collecting rain water and using the purification tablets or boiling it to make it safe. We were only 3 years into the apocalypse and neither of us drank a whole lot. There was also a small creek in the woods where the bunker was hidden. It was horribly overgrown now but it was there if we needed it.

I hesitantly followed the boy towards his group. As we neared, their faces grew shocked at the sight of me. They all gathered together as we made it to the van.

"This is…" The boy started but realized that he never asked my name. He gave me a confused look.

"I'm Cora." I spoke softly.

The women with the dark hair stepped forward, "Nice to meet you Cora, I'm Roberta Warren." She had a motherly voice.

I nodded.

"I'm Doc, I see you've already met 10K here." The man with the white hair spoke.

It was my turn to give 10K the confused look, "he told me you guys needed some water to cool down your van. I can help you with that."

"That would be much appreciated. What can we do?" Warren asked.

I crossed my arms in front of my chest. "Well, for starters, I need to know that you won't kill me."

She nodded and gave her group a look. The guns were put back on their holsters and other weapons were sat inside the van. They all introduced themselves one at a time, with a smile.

"Who's in the van?" I asked suspiciously as I saw movement from the corner of my eye.

They all shared a look.

"That's Murphy and Cassandra. They are part of an important mission from the government…" Warren began to explain.

I cut her off, "you mean 'The Murphy'."

"You know of him?" Addy asked.

I nodded, "I heard Citizen Z talking about him, sending out a bounty. I guess that's what everyone was doing disturbing my nice little town." I said bluntly as I rolled my eyes.

"Sorry about that." Doc said.

"You know Citizen Z?" Addy questioned.

I shook my head, "Nah, I listen to my radio, I hear his name and Delta X-ray Delta."

"Yours truly." Addy said with a curtsy.

I let myself laugh. "There's a creek behind the house and I have a few extra jugs of water." I wanted to help them.

"Lead the way sister!" Doc motioned.

I was still on edge but I began the walk back to my property, with the group following.


	4. Four

I unlocked the back door of the farm house. We all walked in and they began looking around at their surroundings.

"How long have you been here?" The guy called Vasquez asked.

I sat the carrots on the beige counter top and smiled. "I've been here since the beginning. My Uncle lived in this house and I was here when everything started. We've done our best since then."

"We?" Addy sat down on an old wooden stool.

I looked at them cautiously while they were all waiting for me to explain. "It's not just me. Who wants to go with me over to the creek? I can grab the empty buckets to fill."

"10K and Addy, why don't you go." Warren suggested.

"Oooh are the grown-ups going to have a talk?" Addy teased as she hopped out of her seat.

I smiled and followed the two outside. It felt strange having people in my house, especially people that I had just met. I wasn't sure if I could trust them but it looked like they weren't in need of anything other than water.

"Lead the way, Cora." Addy said, slowing down so that I could get ahead of her.

I was still contemplating getting Mia out of the bunker. She was probably down there wondering what was taking me so long but I also wasn't sure if I wanted this group to know I had a little sister. As we entered the wooded area, the separation from Mia got the best of me and I decided it was safe enough to bring her out.

"Okay." I stated, stopping dead in my tracks.

"I don't see a creek…" 10K observed.

"I know. Listen, what I am about to show you means the world to me. I will chop someone's head off if they mess with what's dear to me. Understand?" I held my staff tight.

They both stood back, weary of what I had just said and what it was that I was going to show them. I sighed deep, hoping that this was the right decision.

I banged my staff on the metal circle, in the rhythmic pattern Mia and I had made up the first time I had to leave the safe haven.

After about 30 seconds, the door to the bunker lifted open slightly and I could see Mia's brown eyes peeking out. "Mia, it's okay. Come on out." I coaxed.

She climbed up the ladder and we shut the door. "Mia, I would like you to meet Addy and 10K. These people need our help so we are going to take them over to the creek."

She loudly whispered to me. "Are they good?"

"So far so good." I smiled.

Addy placed her hand on her face and let a huge smile spread from ear to ear. "I totally understand now."

I knew she was talking about the moment we shared before I knocked on the bunker door, before bringing out what is most important to me in this world.

"Well c'mon then." Mia stated, taking my hand and dragging me towards the creek.

The four of us hiked through the overgrown grass and thorn bushes until we came upon a small stream with water flowing with the current. We all just stood there on the creek bank, taking in the summer warmth and listening to the running water against the rocks.

That was until one of the undead came charging through the trees to our left. I grabbed my staff with both of my hands, tightening my grip, I pulled the staff back and jammed it forward with all my strength causing it to go straight through its face.

The zombie fell to the ground with a thud.

I sighed, turning around to see Mia holding her dagger. I shook my head and motioned for her to put it back. She rolled her eyes and stuck the dagger back in its sleeve that was attached to her sparkly blue belt.

I handed a bucket to 10K and we started to collect water for the overheating van.


	5. Five

After 10K and Addy collected two large buckets of creek water, we all headed back to the house. 10K grabbed Doc and they headed over to the van to work on cooling the engine down. Vasquez and Warren were sitting at the kitchen island, talking about their next move, what direction would be safest and who really owned Murphy. Meanwhile, Murphy and Cassandra sat very close to each other on the sofa, looking defensively at the rest of their group.

Addy was assisting Mia at cutting up the carrots into nice portions for everyone to eat. It looked like these guys could use some nutrition but I wasn't ready to give anything up yet. Murphy and Cassandra were making me nervous and I didn't want them anywhere near Mia. I was keeping a close watch on both of them.

Doc and 10K came busting through the door. "We've got company."

Warren and Abby rushed to the window, "It's only a small pack of them. The sun is almost down, close all the curtains and everyone stay low. No sounds." Warren instructed.

"How many?" I asked 10K who came to stand closer to me.

"50 or so." He whispered.

Mia had followed Addy to the window but Addy lead her away as she shut the blinds. We all ducked low, leaning up against walls, under windows, just trying our best to stay out of sight. My breathing became hitched as I heard them knocking around outside. Mia clenched onto my hand as she sat patiently next to me.

Murphy stood from the couch and walked over to the window.

"Murphy…" Warren growled in warning.

"A guy can't stretch his legs?" He complained, throwing his arms up.

"Sit down." I ordered, his eyes met mine and I held the steady gaze.

He did some weird sarcastic dance, "sit down" he mocked.

I stood up and took a few steps toward him, "If you mess up what I have here by attracting those things, I swear to Christ…"

Cassandra jumped up and planted herself between me and Murphy. Cassandra growled at me, causing Murphy to grin. Warren jumped up and pulled Murphy back to the couch, she coaxed Cassandra to follow in Murphy's footsteps.

"Everyone stay silent and still." She ordered, returning to her spot next to Vasquez.

I realized I was the only one still standing when 10K tugged the sleeve of my shirt, trying to get me to sit back down. I did just that and pulled Mia a little closer.

It seemed like two hours had gone by. Doc and Addy were both napping on the floor, Warren looked tired herself, as Vasquez was staring off into space and 10K was cleaning his rifle.

"Warren, let's do a check." I whispered.

She nodded.

I stood slowly, letting my legs uncramp. I let Mia stay next to 10K while Warren and I walked to the front window.

"Looks like they've all passed." She said to me.

"Let's be sure. I'll go upstairs, I can see on a larger scale from there." I explained.

She nodded in agreement. "Vasquez and I will sweep the back yard and the sides of the house."

She grabbed Vasquez and cautiously went out the back door. I went upstairs and into my Uncle's old bedroom, grabbed the binoculars and scanned the area. I didn't see the horde anymore, so that was a sign that they had passed our town. I did, however, see some undead roaming around the town and a few strays making their way on the outskirts.

I watched Warren and Vasquez kill a zombie that was too close to the house. I put down the binoculars and let out a long sigh. If they weren't around, I would go back to the bunker and let this all clear but they didn't get a chance to test their van because of the group of undead coming through. Since there were a few straggling dead, I kind of wanted these people to stay, also, in case there was any more backlash from the shootout in town. I shouldn't have to clean up their mess.

I heard Warren and Vasquez come in the back door. I stood from the ground, took one last look outside and went downstairs to report what I saw.

Everyone was awake and in the kitchen now, still staying quiet and still.

"There was a Z pretty close but we took care of it." Vasquez explained.

Warren nodded in agreement, "there doesn't seem to be any more on or near the property."

"Well, I didn't see the horde of 'Zs' anywhere, so it's a good sign that they passed. Unfortunately, there seems to be a few stragglers and there are some undead roaming around town. More than I've seen in a long time." I said leaning against the kitchen island and giving their group a look.

"We are sorry for bringing trouble. We didn't know anyone lived in this town." Addy apologized.

"It's not like it's something to be broadcasted." I retorted.

Mia sensed the tension and stomped on my foot, trying to get my attention. I looked down at her with a stern face. She smiled up at me and attempted to wink. I chuckled at her failed attempt. Mia was trying to lighten my mood and she accomplished just what she hoped for. I turned to the group.

"Look, sorry I'm a little on edge. It's been a while since I have interacted with other human beings, alive ones at least." It was my turn to apologize.

"We understand." Doc nodded.

"It's dark, getting late and you guys look hungry. You aren't sure if your van is working and we aren't sure how far that horde actually got. So, I propose that you all spend the night here. Get some rest and get yourselves together for whatever journey you are about to make." I put the invitation out there, but hesitantly.

The all shared looks.

"That's very kind of you. We accept." Warren replied.

Mia jumped up and down and went around the room, hugging the new guests. It was good to see her happy.


	6. Six

Mia was excited for our new guests. She hadn't prepared food for anyone other than us two in so long. She went into the basement, where we did most of our cooking. There wasn't much down there other than a make-shift kitchen that Mia and my Uncle put together with camping gear. She cooked in the basement so that the smell of food wouldn't escape the house, and no one outside could see the flames. I sent Addy downstairs with her. I didn't want her to be alone but I wanted to keep my eyes on Murphy and his little pet.

"You're being very kind to us, letting us stay here. I want to thank you again." Warren spoke, smiling that motherly smile.

I nodded, "it's no problem, just don't make me regret it." I said, motioning towards Murphy and Cassandra.

"I know they seem different but they are harmless." Warren tried to comfort me.

I chuckled a little bit. "Yea, ones blue and the other's dead."

10K stood up from his chair, "She's not dead." And stormed off toward the front of the house.

"You're very perceptive." Vasquez stated from his spot leaning against the door frame.

"10K and Cassandra were close once." Warren explained.

I half nodded, half shrugged.

Addy and Mia came up the steps carrying some paper plates, plastic forks and pots. Mia stood next to me. "Look what I made this time!"

Doc brought 10K back into the kitchen and we all gathered around the table. Mia and Addy presented a large pot of steamed white rice, a few packages of the dried jerky and warmed green beans.

"This looks amazing." Doc said, taking in the sight of the food.

"I also went through all these old drawers and found a bunch of this!" Mia said, pulling out a handful of soy sauce packets that you would get from a Chinese take-out place.

"You did good babe." I said, giving her a kiss on her cheek.

Vasquez said a prayer, and everyone dug into their dinners.

"It's been a long time since we had an actual meal." Addy spoke with gratefulness. "Thank you so much."

"You're welcome." I said simply.

Mia jumped off my lap and grabbed a plate. I watched her pile a large amount of food onto it and grab two forks.

"Mia…" I warned.

She deliberately ignored me as she walked into the living room.

I watched her approach Murphy and Cassandra. They both eyed her cautiously but as soon as Murphy spotted the plate in her hand, he perked up.

"Now look at this!" He started, "This is the treatment right here. You guys should start taking notes, this is how a person of importance should be treated."

I watched the group react to his sentence. There were a few eye rolls, and some groans.

"Thank you little Mia. This looks divine." He smiled and Cassandra smiled with him.

"You're welcome Sir, and Mrs." She nodded at them both before skipping back over to the kitchen table, noticeably proud of herself.

I was leaning my head on my hand. I felt tired. I slowly pushed out my chair and began to clear the plates. Throwing them all in the trashcan and scraping what was left back into the big bowl. I wrapped it tight and left it on a small table. I figured if anyone got hungry, they could just help themselves.

I watched from my spot as everyone began standing up and stretching out their limbs. We all seemed to be tired and it was getting pretty late. I knew if anyone needed to go to bed soon, it was Mia.

"So, I figured Murphy, Cassandra, Vasquez and I would sleep in the living room. That way we can keep an eye on them." Warren began the conversation before I was able to.

"Okay, I have two extra bedrooms upstairs." I stated.

"I need one of those." Doc answered quickly.

I nodded.

"I saw an old couch in the basement. Can I just take that?" Addy asked in almost a whisper.

"Sure, but it's pretty dark down there." I answered, a little worried.

"I just want to be alone tonight. Holler if you need anything." Addy smiled and headed down the steps.

"She just lost someone very close to her. This will be her first night without him." Doc said, looking at the ground.

"That's very unfortunate. I understand. Okay, well, I guess that means you get the other room, 10K." I walked over to the hall closet where there were extra pillows and blankets.

I took a few out and handed them to Warren.

"We will keep first watch." She said with a smile.

I nodded. I was feeling uneasy.

"Mia, let's go." I demanded.

I motioned 10K and Doc to follow me up to the second floor. I dropped Doc off first at my Uncle's old bedroom. It just felt like he should get that room.

"This one's yours. The bed is a little small but I hope it works." I said to 10K as I opened up the door to the small room with the book shelf.

I hadn't been in this room for a while. I used to love to read but lately, I couldn't bring myself to waste my time.

"Thank you." He said.

I was starting to walk away when I felt his hand gently grab my wrist.

"I'm sorry for storming out earlier, it was nothing against you." He apologized.

I looked into his eyes, they were different, and they seemed so deep. "It's okay, I get it."

10K's hand lingered for a few long seconds before he dropped it to his side and retreated into the room.

I pulled Mia into our room and shut the door behind us.


	7. Seven

I couldn't decide if I was dreaming or if the hands shaking and poking at my body were real. I stirred slightly, but was finally pulled from my slumber when I heard the sound of a little girl's cry.

My eyes opened to see Mia standing in front of me, tears staining her face, her breathing erratic and one hand holding her temple.

"Cora, it hurts." She cried.

I sat up and pulled her back onto the bed. I put my pillow behind her head and laid her still, covering her with the blanket. I hated when this happened, I couldn't stand to see Mia in so much pain. This was a condition that she suffered from since she was a toddler. For as long as I could remember we were always picking up prescriptions for Mia and seeing doctors. The doctors explained it as being her temporal arteries being inflamed and damaged, which allows only a small amount of blood to flow, not enough blood. It was manageable when we had the prescriptions, or we could call the doctor but now the pains were coming more often. Without the right treatment, eventually Mia was going to subsume to her disease.

I pulled on a large white shirt and grabbed the flashlight from the end table.

"It feels like my heads going to explode!" Mia cried.

"Please, Mia, Shhh! I'll be right back." I pleaded.

I couldn't treat what was causing her pain but I had learned how to manage it. I ran to the hall bathroom and grabbed the old washcloth off of the sink. I threw the shower curtain open and dunked the rag in one of the old buckets of water. Just as I hoped for, the water was chilled. I hastily made my way back to the bedroom to find 10K leaning on the bed keeping Mia's head from hitting the headboard.

"Shit." I dropped the rag.

Mia was having one of her seizures. I jumped up on the bed, opposite 10K, and moved Mia's head onto my lap. Her eyes seemed distant but she was still looking up at me.

I ran my hand over her forehead. "It's okay baby, stay with me, it's almost over."

I continued to talk to Mia in a soft, comforting voice. Eventually, her body stopped flailing around violently and became settled, until there was no movement at all. Mia's chest was rising and falling quickly, indicating that she was out of breath. I gave her a weak smile.

I looked up at 10K for the first time since this started. His face was paler than usual, his eyes wide as he looked at Mia's small body. His eyes met mine and he was searching for answers.

"Could you bring me that rag?" I asked, pointing to the spot on the floor where I had dropped it. "...and my backpack?" I added.

I slowly moved Mia's head from my lap and back onto the pillow. She was awake but barley. 10K handed me the rag and sat my bag on the bed. I carefully sat the rag on her head, placing it so that it would stay in place. I unzipped my bag, getting out a bottle of water and what was left of the pain relievers. We had about 8 left, which was basically nothing because of the way she got migraines. I took two from the bottle. Mia was watching me and knew what to do as the pills came closer to her lips. She washed them down and smiled at me and then 10K. "Can 10K stay in here tonight?" She asked.

I was taken back by her question but she looked so hopeful, so tired and content. I glanced at 10K, who looked more surprised than I did. I wasn't prepared to tell her 'No' about anything at this point. I smiled back at her and nodded slightly.

"Goodnight you two." She whispered as she closed her eyes.

She fell asleep within 10 minutes and I watched her until I felt sure that she was going to sleep through the night. I got under the covers and cuddled up next to her, laying my head next to hers.

"I could leave now that she's asleep." 10K suggested from his spot next to me on the bed.

He was positioned on the very edge and it almost looked like he would fall off if he wasn't so focused on staying still. The bed was a king size, Mia and I had always shared this bed when we came to visit.

"If she wakes up and you're not here, she will be upset. It's okay for you to stay here for the night, whatever Mia wants." I answered.

"...but if you don't want me to." I could tell he was fidgeting.

"I want what Mia wants. If Mia wanted you dead, you'd be dead. But she wants you to stay, so you can stay."

There was a long pause.

I sighed, "Maybe that wasn't the best example. I don't want to talk anymore, I'm too exhausted."

10K relaxed beside me.


	8. Eight

The sun was shining in my face as I slowly opened my eyes. I immediately realized that my head wasn't on a pillow but instead on 10K's chest. I sprung to my feet, then noticing that Mia wasn't in the bed. I threw on my jeans, I slipped my arms through my button up that I was able to keep unbuttoned because I was still wearing the white tee shirt. I put on my shoes and made my way downstairs, my heart beating a mile a minute.

As I descended the steps, I heard Mia shirking. I jumped the last few steps and ran into the kitchen. The sight in front of me wasn't what I had expected.

Addy and Warren were helping Mia wash a bundle of vegetables. I could tell they were freshly picked, so Mia must have taken them to our garden box. They were all laughing together. Mia wasn't in trouble, the shriek was a shriek of laughter not of pain.

"Good morning! Thanks so much for a place to sleep last night. I really needed some rest." Addy smiled.

Warren nodded.

"Want to come help?" Mia asked me.

I shook my head.

10K and Doc came down the stairs behind me.

"Hey little lady, thanks for the bunk last night. I'm refreshed!" Doc said, patting me on the shoulder.

I watched as he made his way into the kitchen.

I turned to head back upstairs. "Excuse me."

"Are you okay?" 10K asked.

"I'm fine." I stated, continuing up the steps.

I heard him enter the kitchen, exchanging some words with the others. I walked into the bathroom, closing the door behind me. It's funny how I am more concerned and scared of getting close to these people than I am of the undead. Mia always caused me to have my guard up, I was worried 24/7 about her life, our life and what happens next but when she asked for a stranger to spend the night in our bed, all of a sudden, I said yes.

I sunk down in the corner, resting my head in my hands. This wasn't the plan. I wasn't supposed to get to know anyone. It was supposed to be Mia and me for the long hall and when she finally left this earth, I would follow. There wasn't supposed to be other people to consider. Mia hadn't had a seizure in months and it worried me that she was starting to have them again. I could feel the sting of the tears running down my face.

 _Knock Knock_

I didn't want to know who was on the other side of the door but the knocking persisted.

"Yes?" I choked out.

"It's Addy. May I come in?" She asked in a sweet voice.

I argued with myself for a moment. If I let her in, I would be letting someone else into my life that would need to be taken into consideration, whom I actually might grow to enjoy. If I ignored her knocks, I would find myself feeling guilty for being rude and then they might not continue to be so friendly.

"Come in." I whispered as I wiped the stray tears from my face.

"What's going on?" Addy asked, as she took a seat next to me.

"It's nothing. I am just going through something right now." My voice was monotone.

"We are all going through something right now. This life isn't easy, we all have our demons. You've got it pretty good here." Addy replied.

I looked up at her. "I choose not to travel the world full of the undead and put myself in careless situations, that's why I have it okay here but it doesn't mean we have it good. I'm sure you guys could find a place to do the same."

"Once you've been out there, you get something out of it and the situations you get put in. You don't want to just stay in this house till you're dead, do you?" Addy positioned herself in front of me, grinning.

I stared back with a grin, "Actually, that's exactly what I was planning on doing."

"Well, God forbid but what about after Mia, ya' know…" Addy began.

"…after Mia what?" I was alert now.

"We heard about what happened last night." She stated timidly.

My blood began to boil and my eyes narrowed. "That's none of your concern." I was trying to stay as calm and as steady as I could. I stood up and opened the door. My mouth felt dry so I headed down to the kitchen.

Everyone was still hanging around but this time instead of food there was a large map spread a crossed the kitchen counter.

"How are you doing Mia?" I asked as I wrapped her in my arms.

"Great, Cora! They are teaching me how to read a map." Mia smiled up at me.

"We are also planning our course of movement." Vasquez stated, letting me know they weren't wasting time.

"Great." I said.

I watched Addy come downstairs and take a seat next to Doc. Murphy and Cassandra were still camped out in the living room, looking as friendly as ever.

"I need some fresh air. Why don't you come with me 10K?" I asked, in a false joyful voice. I kept my eyes on Addy as I asked the question.

He got up and slung his rifle around his shoulder. I motioned for him to follow me as I swung open the back door, grabbing my staff before heading to the backyard.


	9. Nine

It was a hot day and the sun shined down on the dying grass, dehydrating it even more. I looked off into the distance. It was miles away but you could still make out the contrast between blue and dark skies. 10K was standing beside me, following my gaze.

"That's the radiation headed this way, we probably have a few more days before it gets too close for comfort." He explained.

"Just because I've been here at the house doesn't mean that I'm naive to what's going on." After the encounter with Addy in the bathroom, I felt the need to defend myself.

"No one said you were. You've done a good job here." He spoke softly, like he wasn't sure he should speak at all.

I turned to him. I studied his unsure face, he gave off a shy but confident vibe. I know that each trait contradicted the other but it was the only way I could describe him. I was fuming mad when I brought him outside. I was upset for him catching Mia and I dealing with our own problems last night, I was upset that Mia wanted him to stay, that she liked all these people and that he told his group of Mia's death sentence.

It felt like we were standing there for a while, so I finally broke the silence. "Mia's issue wasn't your business to tell."

He looked thrown off guard by my statement. "Maybe we could help."

"That would be nice if we needed your help, but we don't." I crossed my arms.

10K rubbed the back of his neck with his hand in frustration. "You were nice to us. You let us stay here to get a good nights rest, you fed us. I wanted to return the hospitality. I told the others in hope that there was something we could do."

I took in his explanation. It wasn't a bad one and he didn't seem to have anything but good intentions. To be honest, I felt that way about his entire group. We stood there. "My mother brought Mia home from the hospital when she was 4 years old. They had spent two nights there because of Mia's condition. The seizures were so bad that my mom couldn't go to work and I couldn't focus on my schooling. Even when I did go, my mind was stuck on what was going on at home. We hardly got any sleep because Mia would wake up screaming multiple times a night because of her pain. When they got home from the hospital my mom pulled me aside and told me that the condition was fatal. The pain could be lessened with medication and therapy, death could even be postponed but it was inevitable. We were able to give her mostly a normal childhood, except for her episodes. We haven't ventured out into the world because I want her to finish out her days not being fearful of turning every corner, to even shut her eyes for moment. It's not because we are weak but because we are strong together, I'm stronger with her."

I felt a weight lift from my shoulders, like telling 10K chipped away at the pain I had been holding inside for so long. I couldn't remember the last time I was able to open up about my baby sister. Mia and I had light conversations about it. She knew she was sick, we had told her so the year the world went to shit, but I still wanted her to know she had a life to live.

10K took a step towards me. His hand took mine and he looked down at me, eyes filled with hope. I felt a connection and he didn't even have to say anything to make me feel like I wasn't alone, that this was going to be okay.

All of a sudden we heard groans coming from our right. His hand left mine and was on his rifle with quickness you would imagine a magician to have. I took a step back, tightly grabbing my staff. I shook myself from the fog that clouded my mind and prepared myself for a fight. 10K used the butt of his rifle to smash the skull of an undead. There were at least five. Meaning, there were probably more not too far away.

"Lead them away from the house!" I instructed as one came at me. I backed away quickly, doing my best to lead this ugly zombie away from my property. As expected the others followed. Once I couldn't go any further without risking a bite, I drew my staff back and jammed it into the head of the dead women in front of me.

10K took off towards the woods, leading some of the other zombies away. Once I pulled my staff from the skull of the women, I was focused on the large male zombie coming for me at full force. There was a bone sticking out of his arm as he reached for me. I swung my weapon with as much force as possible, knocking the zombie to its knees. Pulling it above my head, I pushed the hard wood into the top of the dead man's head. As he fell, he was still reaching for my legs. I tried to move from his grasp but I wasn't quick enough, just as he died his last death, he latched onto my ankle. I was in the process of trying to free my leg from his hand when I heard a small groan.

"Shit." I said as I looked up and saw a small undead child making its way to me. The boy had on a baseball cap. His small mouth was dripping with old blood and he stumbled towards me, hoping for his next meal. I found myself wondering how he had kept that cap on this entire time, without it falling off. This clearly wasn't what I should have been worried about as the child got closer to me. I started to fumble with my weapon.

"Damnit." I mumbled as I couldn't get a great grip on it.

Suddenly, a single shot was fired and the boy fell to my feet. Almost in slow motion. I took a deep breath and looked in the direction of the shot. 10K stood on the other side of the yard, pulling down his rifle scope from his eye. His gun now rested at his side. Neither of us making a move. My eyes trailed back to the boy in front of me. I imagined what Mia would look like as an undead child.


	10. Ten

The day had passed and I was sitting at the kitchen table with Mia, putting together a puzzle by the light of a small candle. She was running a fever. I could see little sweats beads on her hairline and I knew we had to bring it down if we could.

"Mia, I'm going to go make you some tea, okay?" I stood up from my chair.

Mia nodded and continued to focus on the puzzle pieces in front of her. I could tell she was exhausted. I grabbed the flash light and headed downstairs. I grabbed one of the old coffee mugs and started the small fire.

It seemed like the water was taking longer to boil today than ever before. Once the water was bubbling, I added a few sprigs of Edlerflower. We had a bush in the backyard that grew these little flowers and they had great health benefits. I put out the flame and headed up the steps. Warren, 10K and Vasquez were now sitting at the table. I had agreed to let the group hang around for another day since the undead came a little too close for comfort.

"Here Mia, go upstairs and try to fall asleep. I'll be up shortly." I handed her the coffee mug and she smiled.

"Goodnight Mia." The others said in unison.

After I heard Mia make it to the second floor, I sat down at the table and let out a strained sigh. Warren had her hands laced, resting on the table, Vasquez was leaning back in his chair and it was the first time I had seen him without his bullet proof vest. 10K leaned against the kitchen island, his hair a shaggy mess and his arms crossed in front of him.

"We need to talk." Warren started the conversation.

My eyes locked with hers and I was bracing myself for whatever conversation was about to come. "What about?"

She drew in a heavy breath. "The group of Zs that came through here earlier were only the first. There's going to be more groups with growing numbers coming a lot more frequently."

I shrugged. "It's something that we can handle. It's not like I haven't had my share of kills, and if we lay low, they just pass on by."

"That's not a margin I'd want to count on." Vasquez stated.

"A horde big enough would over run this house." 10K added, looking from Vasquez to me.

"The radiation is headed this way. We are packing up and leaving tomorrow to keep the distance between us and that cloud of smoke. The Zs are mighty stupid but their instincts are making them move too." Warren explained.

"…and they're moving this way." Vasquez added.

"What is it that you guys are getting at?" I asked the three people in front of me.

There was a pause while they all shared a look. It was like they were making sure the agreement they came upon before was still valid. Finally, Warren spoke. "We want you and Mia to come with us."

"Come with you where?" I asked instantly.

"California. We have to get Murphy there because he has the cure." Vasquez answered.

Warren went on to explain the mission that they were on and the other members of their group who lost their lives trying to get Murphy to California. I listened and took in everything that was being said but I couldn't imagine traveling such a long way and leaving what I had here. After her story was over I stood from my seat. I lightly paced through the kitchen.

"There's no cure." I stated.

"There is a cure, if I didn't think there was, Murphy would be dead by now." 10K said with a hint of anger in his voice.

"I second that." Warren added.

"Mia can't travel." I ran my fingers through my hair.

"Doc has medicine that we can use to keep her going and there are enough of us to protect her if needed." Warren spoke in her motherly voice, trying to convince me this was the right thing to do.

"If you go with us, you have a chance. If you stay, you're going to die regardless." Vasquez did seem like the blunt type.

I let my gaze fall to the flame bouncing around in the small candle. Their reasoning wasn't wrong but I wasn't sure I could leave this place. We've been doing okay here because it was familiar, I had no idea what was waiting for me a few miles down the road and I wasn't sure I wanted to find out.

My thoughts were interrupted by a high pitched scream. As soon as I was able to move, I was darting up the steps. The upstairs hallway seemed to be miles long as I approached the bedroom door.


	11. Eleven

I flung open the bedroom door and my eyes widened at the sight in front of me. Mia's body was jolting around brutally in the bed. At first I thought it was one of her seizures but as I made my way over to the side of the bed, I saw the white foam coming from the corners of her mouth.

"Mia!" I grabbed her head and pulled her towards me as I always did. I moved her hair from her face to see that blood was trickling from her ears, falling on to the sheets and my fingers. "Mia!" I tried again to get her to focus on me but this time her eyes were rolled to the back of her head.

"Cora, I don't know if we can save her." I heard Warren's voice from beside me. I hadn't even noticed that she was there.

I became more aware of my surroundings as I saw the rest of the group crowded into the room.

"She needs privacy!" I screamed, feeling violated.

Addy, Doc, Vasquez and Murphy exited the room. Cassandra, who was lurking in the hall, followed Murphy back down the steps. This left Warren, 10K and me. My heart was pounding so hard I thought it was going to rip through my chest. If I was to have a heart attack right now, I wouldn't be surprised.

Foam continued to fall from her little mouth and now blood was dripping from her nose. I slightly shook her, "Mia can you hear me?" I didn't get an answer. "MIA!" I was so angry. She wasn't supposed to go today, she had more time.

"Cora, please, if we get any louder we are going to attract any Z moving through the neighborhood." Warren backed away from the bed.

I looked up to 10K, he was keeping his distance.

Mia had stopped moving. I felt her head and it wasn't hot anymore. I lowered my ear to her chest and I didn't hear the beating of her heart. I rested my hand on her stomach, feeling for the slightest rise and fall, indicating that she was still breathing. Nothing. The foam covered her lower face, and mixed with blood as it ran down her neck.

"She subsumed to her condition." I whispered to myself.

Warren handed me a freshly damped rag and I began to clean Mia up. The blood stained her pale skin and it dried into her brown hair, making clumps. Time felt unreal, this felt like a nightmare that I would wake up from any minute.

"We are all very sorry for your loss." Warren spoke, touching my shoulder.

I didn't say anything. The shock was cutting too deep and there wasn't anything I could do to pull myself out.

"You do understand that you will need to give her mercy…" Warren walked over to 10K. "…if you need us." She motioned for 10K to lead the way out of the room and within a few seconds they were gone.

From the corner of my eye I could see the black handgun that Warren discreetly left on the edge of the bed. I still didn't want to believe that this was the end for my baby sister. We had come too far for her to just check out now. I spent the next few minutes just staring at her and taking in her pitiful appearance. If you ignored the blood stained sheets and the disarray of her hair, upon death she still looked innocent.

I finally moved from the bed and walked over the bedroom window. I looked out of the curtain to see one lone zombie staggering down the street.

This world wasn't enough for Mia. Who would want to fight to live in a world full of the undead, full of hardship and death? Why would anyone want to be on the move all the time, hiding and scavenging?

I heard the creak of a bed spring. My stomach was in my throat and my heart was beating a mile a minute. I gripped the gun in my hand.

I kept my eyes focused on the zombie making its way down the street. The moon lighting its way and shining through the window, illuminating the room.

There was a gurgle sound.

I drew in a sharp breath and turned around, lifting the gun and aiming it at the bed. Mia had regenerated into one of those monsters. Before I had time to think I was pulling the trigger. I didn't want to see her as one of them. The bullet passed through her skull and she fell back to her sleeping position.

I stayed there for the rest of the night.


	12. Twelve

I waited patiently through the night and as soon as dawn broke, I was outside with a shovel. When I walked past Doc who was on watch, he could barely look at me. I picked a spot at the edge of our yard, under a little tree. The sky was a light shade of gray with a clouded overcast and the sun wasn't shining today. I began to dig.

I was concentrating hard as I rigorously dug at the dirt. After a few feet, my head started to pound and my arms burned. I leaned on the shovel, wiping the sweat from my brow. I felt a cold drop of rain fall on my neck. I closed my eyes, letting my skin be cooled down by the drizzle. My eyes surveyed my work. The grave was deep enough and with the rain coming down, I had to move quickly.

I let the shovel fall to the ground and I headed towards the house. As I approached the back door, it was opened for me. Addy was standing on the other side.

"It looks like a big storm is coming through." She said, ushering me inside.

"Good, it fits my mood." I answered as I headed upstairs.

Addy followed me.

Last night I had wrapped Mia neatly in the sheets. It looked like she had been cocooned like a butterfly. I lifted her body. I used to be able to lift her with ease but her dead weight was another story.

"Can you grab that box?" I asked Addy in a strained voice.

Addy did as I asked and followed me back downstairs and out to the backyard. It was raining heavier now and the dirt was becoming moist. As we exited the house, others followed. I sat Mia next to the grave, knowing that I wasn't strong enough to place her gently. 10K and Vasquez stepped up. They each grabbed one end as they lowered her body into the dirt. Addy handed me the box. Item by item I put them into her grave, surrounding her with her favorite things. She would be buried with her books, her stuffed animals, her favorite flowers and beads.

I looked around at the people standing with me. These people hardly knew Mia and they hardly knew me but they were standing outside in the rain, to bury a little girl and make sure I was okay. They all shared the same somber expression as they looked down at the white sheets. Even Cassandra and Murphy looked saddened from their spot a few feet back.

I didn't say anything. I didn't want to.

"We should start packing up." Vasquez said, and one by one the group began to disappear into the house.

Warren walked up to me and placed a hand on my shoulder. She smiled and pulled me into a quick embrace. I accepted this gesture and smiled back. She left to follow the others.

Now, it was just 10K and I standing in the rain. I felt weak. I lowered myself to the ground and leaned my back against the small tree. I watched as he grabbed the shovel and began filling the hole. The rain made the dirt heavier but he didn't stop until the job was done. As he filled in the last few inches, I watched as his muscles tensed with the motions. I sighed.

The rain didn't let up.

"Are you ready to go in?" He asked, towering over me.

"I think I'll just stay out here." I answered, not looking up at him.

I expected him to head inside and join the conversation that his group was most likely having about the situation and when they should head out. Surprisingly, he sat down next to me on the ground. The leaves on the tree were providing some shelter from the raindrops but not much. My hair was still damp and my clothes muddy. I felt the warmth from his body as our arms touched. I could smell the earth.

"You need to come with us when we leave." 10K said.

I looked over at him.

"It's a death sentence if you stay here." He added when he realized I wasn't saying anything.

"Maybe that wouldn't be so bad." I pulled at the sleeve of my shirt. "Before you guys showed up, my plan was to follow Mia."

"Do you think that's what Mia would have wanted?" He had a way of making me think, even though he didn't say too much. "What do you have to lose now? You lost what you were living for. So what's there to be afraid of?"

I lifted my eyes from the ground to the sky. I focused in on the dark clouds that were closer than yesterday. 10K jumped up from his seat on the ground and held his hand out to help me up. I took it and he pulled me to my feet.

As we entered the house no one said anything to us. It looked like they were busy packing their bags with the provisions I had set out for them, Doc and Vasquez were out front checking on the car. 10K and I headed upstairs. 10K went into the bedroom he had been staying in and I went into the bathroom.

I grabbed a rag and a towel. I stripped out of my muddy clothes and dipped the rag into the water bucket. I cleaned every inch of my body, rubbing away at the mud and the guilt. I dipped my hair into the bucket and swished it around, soaking it with the fresh water. I towel dried my hair and body before changing into dry clothes.

I told 10K that it was his turn before going to my room. I laced up my dry boots and grabbed my bag from the closet. I packed it with some extra clothing, my knives, and bottles of water, energy bars and a few other nessecities. I went into the spare bedroom to lay on the sofa. I needed to shut my eyes but I couldn't stand to lay in the bed Mia and I shared.

"You're coming with us then?" I heard 10K ask as he entered the room and saw my bag.

"Looks that way." I said simply, before dozing off.


	13. Thirteen

A/N: Hey all. Thanks so much for the comments and love to this story. I feel really motivated to move this story along and update multiple times this week. I have a pretty good idea where I want it to go. Please let me know what you think so far. Is there anything you want to see? Let me know! I'll see if I can add it in with a twist for your enjoyment. Have a great week!

I was leaning against the van, looking at the old white two story farm house. I thought about how I used to rush home from school when the bell rang for summer break just so my mom could ship me off to this place. My Uncle was a fun loving person and we were never without a project. I learned things from him and from being here that I cherished and wouldn't have learned anywhere else. I remembered Mia. The strong young lady she grew into these last three years and how she never complained about the world. No matter how fucked up it was. If we did get to California, and Murphy was the light at the end of the tunnel, I was going to come back here. This was always going to be my home.

"You ready young'un?" Doc asked as he hopped in the back.

"As ready as I'm going to be." I stated, throwing my bag into the van and jumping in after it.

"At least you were able to get some sleep." Addy said from the front passenger seat.

"Yea, a good hour nap." I answered quietly.

"We are pretty stocked now, so let's just enjoy the ride." Doc said as he pulled on his sunglasses.

Before we left, we took as much water as we could carry and the rest of the food rations that I had. I made sure I gave all the random medication I had to Doc, I strapped myself with the weapons that I had and added the ammo to the community inventory. We began our journey to California. I looked out the front window at everything we were passing. Some things looked familiar, other things didn't. I was nervous to be out of my comfort zone.

We drove most of the night. Warren and Doc took turns driving and the rest of us slept in shifts. I noticed that 10K's eyes were frequently on Cassandra, as she tended to Murphy. I wondered what she used to look like before the bite, and the stripper wardrobe. Addy had filled me in on a few things before we left, things that I needed to know about the group. She told me about Murphy and his criminal past. How they were testing on prisoners and he was the only one to survive the bites, that zombies listened to him telepathically and along the way he turned blue. She explained her story, which Mack was a large part of. The way she spoke of him made me sad but it also made me hopeful. If she could carry on, I could too. Vasquez had just joined their group, so there were still questions about his character. She told me of Doc's non-conventional medicine and about 10K's goal to kill 10,000 Zs. She also explained the close relationship that 10K and Cassandra had and how Murphy bit her, changing her into what she was today but at the same time, saving her from death. _"If you can call it that." She scoffed._

I was woken by the sound of arguing. I could tell it was Murphy and Warren, I could also tell that we weren't moving. I rubbed my eyes and stretched my legs. Cassandra was the only one in the van, the others must have exited at the first sign of trouble. Her golden eyes locked with mine. It was like having a stare down with a rabid dog, I wasn't sure if I could make any sharp movements.

"Hi." I said softly as I began to move forward.

She understood that I was talking to her but she didn't make a sound. I moved my body slowly towards the door, she moved with me. Almost like she was mimicking my movements. As soon as I came close enough to the van door, I jumped out. I turned around to see Cassandra settling back into the corner of the van.

"Damn." I said to myself as my heart calmed.

I walked to the front where the others were checking out the vehicle.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"Looks like this baby is down for the count." Doc stated.

"We are going to head out on foot. We will find another car on the way." Warren informed.

"This wasn't the plan." I said, pulling off my black hoodie. It was hot out here with the sun in full swing.

"Nothing ever goes according to plan." Murphy replied sarcastically.

We all gathered as much as we could carry. I tied my hoodie around my waist and followed the group on foot, a crossed the hills.


	14. Zombie Road

I had my staff in one hand doubling as a walking stick and my other hand close to the gun that was holstered to my hip.

10K and I had fallen back from the group a little bit. We were walking through the tall grass, making our way to California on foot. We had to find a vehicle soon or we were all going to be in trouble.

"I'm nervous about all this." I said to 10K.

He looked down at me. "That's natural. You're going to be okay."

"Im not sure you're right. Sure, I've killed Zs before but I'm not sure I'll be able to match your group's fighting skills and I don't want to be the weak link." I needed to get this concern off my chest.

He smiled at me. His smile was warm and handsome. Our eyes locked and I felt a ping in my chest, this caused me to smile back.

"I'll take care of you." He answered.

I shook my head. "That's the problem. I don't want anyone to have to take care of me. I don't want to be that. I want to be able to take care of myself."

"We all take care of each other. The only way to gain fighting skills is to fight. That's how any of us learned. I still think you'll be okay." He kicked a small rock that was in our path. "I'm glad you decided to come along."

I looked down. "I am too."

"10K, let me see your scope." Warren asked from the front.

We all came to a stop. 10K handed his gun over to Warren and she looked off into the distance. "That's one big ass truck."

We all looked closer to see a moving truck. A moving truck meant other people. We made our way towards the road as the truck came to a stop, due to a wreckage blocking their path.

I hung back as Warren and Vasquez approached these strange people. They started talking to the guy who was running things. The group was welcoming. They offered us some water and although he had our own, we gladly took a few sips. I felt tense.

"Relax..." 10K said as we shared a cup of water.

"I haven't been around this many people in years. I could count on my hand how many living people I've seen since this all started."

10K grinned and began laughing. "Well? This is what happens when you leave the comfort of your house."

I narrowed my eyes. "When did you become so talkative?"

He chuckled again and put his hands up in mock surrender. He backed away and headed towards Doc, all the while keeping that grin. I shook my head and sat down.

"They want you to relax huh?" One of the men came over to me.

"Apparently. Seems like a hard thing to do in a world filled with the dead." I replied.

"Meet me over by that car in a couple minutes." He said and walked off.

I watched him. He reminded me of some of the people I knew before the world went to shit. Just always cruising, taking it easy.

I walked over to Warren and the guy running the show, his name was Sam Custer. He was explaining, in detail to a few of us about Blasters. These mega zombies that had been changed by the radiation. Picture a zombie hopped up on PCP and having a bad trip. I shuttered at the idea that there could be anything worse than your normal, everyday zombie.

My shoulders felt like rocks and I was starting to get a headache. I did need to relax. I walked over to the car where the guy told me to meet him. Doc and Murphy were already there.

"I didn't think you would come. I'm Wreaking Ball. Get in." He said with a smile.

"Oh no, little miss thing here doesn't need to get in the car." Murphy complained as I opened the door and slid into the back with Doc.

"Awe, Murphy, leave the girl alone. We all could use a little Z Weed." Doc defended.

The car was filled with smoke and I rolled my eyes as Wreaking Ball handed me the joint. "You know Murphy, I have smoked before."

"What are you? Like 15?" He returned the eye roll.

I took a nice drag from the joint and inhaled slowly. I passed the joint to Doc and blew the smoke towards Murphy. "Actually, I'm 19."

"Well good for you." Murphy didn't have much more to say.

After the joint was done we all stepped out of the car. I was about to walk away when I saw Warren and Sam approaching. I stopped. Sam seemed to be angry. He pointed at Wrecking Ball and began to spew off a riddle or something. Warren looked at me with her hands on her hip. "We are moving on."

I nodded to her as I passed and made my way over to the convoy. 10K was sitting on one of the trucks. I jumped up to where he was. He gave me a look and I couldn't help but giggle.

"Nice smoke cloud you stepped out of." He said, checking to make sure his gun was 100% loaded and functional.

"You were watching me?" This caused me to let out a few hardy laughs.

"Maybe. This really isn't the right time to be getting high but I like your laugh. So, something good came out of it." He smiled as the trucks started moving forward.

My body was relaxed but my mind drifted to thoughts of Blasters and Mia.


	15. Fifteen

10K was sharing a look with one of the girls from the convoy. The girl with the long hair and red war paint on her face. When 10K noticed I was watching, he diverted his eyes to our surroundings.

"She's pretty." I stated.

He shrugged but gave me a weak smile.

"You should try to talk to her." I suggested.

"Eh, what's the point." He replied.

The truck was bouncing up and down as it rolled over the rock and gravel.

"Why would you say that?" He seemed withdrawn.

"Things were so different before this started, I was different. I wasn't sociable, I didn't have many girls chasing after me." He explained.

"We all have that awkward point in our lives. What's that got to do with now?" I held on a little tighter to the metal bar as the truck picked up more speed.

"I cared for someone once and she was taken away from me. The hardest thing to deal with is that I still have to look at her everyday." His face was like stone.

"Cassandra." I said, understanding.

His eyes met mine when her name escaped from my mouth, he nodded.

"I'm sorry 10K." I settled back in my seat.

We rode for a few more miles before the yelling began. I stood up from my spot on the side of the truck to see men with ATVs riding along side some of the convoy.

"Bounty hunters!" A man called back from the other car.

All chaos broke loose. The men attempted to take whatever we had but we were fighting back hard.

10K had climbed towards the top of the truck, getting a good aim. I shot the best I could at the men on this side of the truck. After a few missed attempts, I finally got the hang of my gun and shot a guy off of his 4-wheeler. Before I knew it, his face was being ripped off by a Blaster.

"Shit, shit, shit." I said as a few more Blasters became visible.

These suckers were running faster than anything I'd ever seen. They were keeping up with the truck. The ride became even more bumpy as we went downhill. I was holding on to a metal bar when one of the Blasters latched itself on to the truck. I watched as he pulled himself up. He was big and he was strong. I aimed my gun and fired, only to realize that I was out.

"Damn!" I semi screamed.

I replaced my gun to its holster and pulled myself up by the bars. I was on top of the truck now and the wind was making it hard to keep steady. I had just enough time to load a new clip, when the Blaster made it's way to the top. He charged at me and I shot, trying to keep my aim as steady as possible. I hit him in his shoulder but it didn't do any damage. It took a few more shots but I finally hit him in his skull. He fell to his knees but he was still trying to pull himself towards me. These things were hard to kill. I backed up a little too far and my right foot fell off the truck. I half fell, I was able to hold on with my arms as my legs dangled above the moving asphalt. The Blaster was still crawling towards me, closing the gap quicker than I imagined. I needed to pull myself up but if I didn't have a weapon almost immediately, it wouldn't matter because I would be food.

"Pull up!" I heard Addy call from behind me. I looked to see her and 10K climbing over the next truck bed. It looked like they understood my dilemma.

I used all my strength to hoist myself up. As soon as all of my limbs were accounted for, a meat cleaver landed beside me, just in time. I grabbed it as fast as I could and chopped away at the Blaster's skull. The blood shot every which way and I only stopped when Addy and 10K jumped onto the same truck top as me.

"The sick bay became a dead bay, as we predicted." Addy explained.

"We took care of them." 10K added.

"Good, where's the others?" I asked.

Just then the vehicle came to an halt and we were flung forward, all of us hitting the metal with a bang.

"Fuck!" Addy screamed out.

10K went for his rifle that flew from his hands and I sat up, feeling it in my elbow.

Warren signaled for us to get into her vehicle. We all got down from the truck and ran over, jumping into Warren's new ride containing herself, Vasquez and Doc. 10K watched as we drove away, his eyes falling on the girl he shared a look with earlier. This time, she was laying dead, stretched out along one of the truck beds. I rested my hand on his leg, letting him know I was sorry. Sam was following in his truck, suddenly, his truck started going all over the road. A Blaster had made it's way into the truck and was tearing Sam apart. We stopped to make sure all the supplies were strapped securely in the back.

"Wait, where's Murphy?" Addy asked what we were all thinking.

"He took off. He is headed in that direction and I swear that when I find him, I'm beating his ass." Warren was pissed as she jumped back into the drivers seat.

Fire and a cloud of black smoke filled the area where the truck had crashed.

We were on our way.


	16. Batch 47

A/N: I hope I didn't mess anyone's flow up with Cora's age. I wanted to make her close to 10K's age and old enough to have developed her little attitude from things she had been through pre-apocalypse. Happy reading !

"I have a feeling about this place. Let's stop here and see whats going on." Warren said as we pulled the truck to the side of the road, just out of sight from the guards standing at the fence.

I followed her lead and exited the vehicle. I bent over, touching my feet with my hands in attempt to stretch my sore body. That was the first fight I had been involved in, in almost a year and even the fight before that wasn't really a fight. It didn't help that we were all just cramped up in the truck.

Addy was twirling her bat around. The metal spikes on the top glistened in the sun and I could make out the faint splatter of stained blood. I looked down at my staff. I needed a new weapon. The wood was fraying in multiple places and it was beginning to rot. It wouldn't be of much use for too much longer and if what happened today was a normal day-in-the-life for this group, I would need a better weapon and fast.

We approached the entrance to the fenced in area and the two guards came forward. They eyed us carefully before ushering us inside.

"Head over there and you will be given instructions." One of the guards ordered.

 _'Instructions?'_ I thought to myself. This wasn't what we were expecting.

Our group began to head in the direction we were told when we heard a women's scream coming from the other direction. Without thought, Warren and Vasquez made their way towards the sound and the rest of us followed. There was a women clawing at the dirt, trying to free herself from the tree roots.

"Have we fallen down the wormhole?" I said in disbelief at what looked like tree roots pulling the women back in.

As we neared we realized that it was a green Z who was pulling at the women's legs. The Z was covered in plant matter and its skin was splotchy green. Vasquez crushed the skull while Warren pulled the women out.

"I always did like Alice in Wonderland." Addy smiled at me as she helped the women to her feet.

"Hey! We said over there!" One of the guards hollered as he came to see what all the commotion was about.

Warren gave him a death glare as to tell them to back off. 10K helped the women over to her bunk and we all made our way into the campsite.

"What is this?" Doc asked the women as she stumbled over to a small girl sleeping on a cot.

She began to speak but it was like my ears stopped working. I was deafened by the sight in front of me. A small girl laying on a cot. Just like Mia slept on her cot in the bunker. Just like Mia awoke, looking for me each time. Mia.

My hands became clammy and I just continued to stare. It wasn't until I felt like I was going to pass out did I realize I had been holding my breath. I exhaled the little air that still filled my lungs and turned my back to the group, taking in a large, sharp breath. I walked outside of the makeshift sleeping area and looked off into the camp. There were others just like this women who were all waiting for their turn in the wormhole.

I decided to walk around. There was a table by the side of the building that had different types of weapons spread out on top. Each one looked like a garden tool on steroids. I took a liking to a machete that sat to the right. The handle was metal, but was covered with blue grip tape. The machete itself wasn't the typical silver steel but a charcoal color, almost black. I leaned against the table, looking at the people who were scattered around. I quickly grabbed the machete and carefully stuffed it in my bag.

I walked away from the scene. My head was down and I was trying to go unnoticed.

"Hey!" A male voice came from behind me.

I stiffened.

A hand touched my shoulder and spun me around to face them.

I let out a breath. "10K, God."

"Did I scare you? I'm sorry. I was just checking to see if you were okay. You looked a little pale when you walked out." We walked closely to each other.

"I just needed some air." I replied.

"Murphy is here. He's in the greenhouse trying to harvest Batch 47, apparently it's an herbal remedy to the virus." 10k explained as we sat down on a stack of plastic crates.

"There's Z weed here?" I smiled.

"You're starting I sound like Doc." His eyes widened.

"It makes me feel better." I admitted.

"We're you much of a smoker before this?" 10 asked curiously.

I shrugged. "I was 16 when everything started. I dabbled a little bit in smoking and I had my share of beers. When you had an absentee father and a workaholic mother, rules weren't really something in the vocabulary . I didn't have a lot of structure so I found myself getting into trouble more than some of the other kids I knew. On the other hand, we had Mia to worry about so even when I wasn't doing what I was supposed to do, I still helped with her."

He was looking at me tentatively, not saying a word. Just taking in my story. I watched a couple walk by us. They were dirty and tired looking. 10K and I were siting on crates opposite each other but I felt the desire to move closer to him. However, I didn't.

"You don't seem to talk much." I observed.

He leaned back onto the crate behind him and he looked towards me. "You don't think I talk to you enough?"

The question threw me off guard. I thought about it for a moment.

"Actually, I noticed that you don't talk much to the others, even though you know them better than you know me. They're your group."

"You're my group too." He answered, his eyes not looking away.

"I guess so." I shouldn't have even made the observation. This conversation was an awkward dead end.

On cue Addy came out from the bunk area and yelled over to us, announcing her discovery. "I got in touch with Citizen Z and he gave us what we needed."

10K and I got up from our seats to head over to the rest of the group. I picked up my bag wrong and it dropped back to the ground.

"That machete weighing things down?" He asked in mock seriousness as he walked passed me and went over to Doc.

I rolled my eyes. He was really something else.


	17. Seventeen

"You want to go in there?" I couldn't believe that Murphy talked Warren and the others into harvesting Batch 47. I couldn't understand why Murphy wanted that particular batch or why he cared. He was walking around almost immune to the virus anyway.

"We get in, we get out, then we are headed to California." Warren warned Murphy.

Murphy agreed to her terms and we traded our guns for the deadly garden tools. Murphy entered the greenhouse first, followed by Warren and Vasquez. Doc, 10K and I followed behind.

"I still don't understand what good having six people in here at the same time will do." I stated as I clenched the machete in my hand.

Addy stayed behind so that she could attempt to make contact with Citizen Z. We wanted to ask him if he had ever heard of Batch 47 or knew how promising it actually was.

"Shh." Warren hushed me.

I dropped my shoulders into a slouch. It wasn't that I was ungrateful but I also wasn't too keen on putting myself in harms way on purpose. We walked softly through the greenhouse. I studied the other batches as we passed them. Only some were connected with a zombie. As we walked by another batch, I grabbed a handful and stuck it in my pocket. We stopped when we came to the end. Murphy was staring at a giant Z who was protecting Batch 47. He was green, shaggy and covered in vines. It gave me the creeps. As Murphy began to take samples of Batch 47, the giant began to stir. I took a few steps back, watching the thing closely for any sign of movement. As soon as Murphy and Doc gathered enough samples the Z began to moan, which in turn woke up all the other greenhouse zombies. We all turned on our heels and ran, we had to slice zombie limbs here and there to get through the other 46 batches. We had almost exited the greenhouse when I felt a tight grip on my long hair. It jerked my head back and I became unsteady on my feet. I saw a women Z who was covered in vines and growing moss from her wounds. I struggled to slice at her hand but I couldn't get into the right position. Suddenly, I was released from her grip. I looked up to see that 10K had sliced her hand clean off of her arm. Her fingers were still connected to my hair and I pried them loose, causing her hand to fall to the ground.

"Thanks." I said, pulling myself up from the dirt.

"We protect each other." He said simply as I followed him out of the greenhouse. He was trying to take my mind back to our conversation during our walk, when I was worried about needing to be protected.

Everyone was gathered around Odegard and Murphy as they announced that Batch 47 was harvested and it was time for the trials to begin. Our group stood around, watching and listening to this man spew an inspirational speech that all seemed to be bullshit to me. Suddenly, large black SUVs came rolling up on the campsite. Odegard's face fell to that of fear.

The camp became silent.

"Good Afternoon Escorpion." Odegard greeted.

We learned that Escorpion owned a cartel called the Zeros and that they were the ones funding this place for the harvest and sale of Z-Weed. All the Z-Weed but Batch 47, as it seemed like Escorpion had instructed Odegard to stop the harvest of that batch before. Things began to get a little wild. Escorpion began doing human trials on Odegard, killing him in the process.

Before I could realize it, my body had found it's way behind 10K. He looked at me from the corner of his eye and stepped a little closer, as if to protect me. The cartel left but not without strict orders to continue the harvest of Z-Weed because they would be back to collect.

"You okay?" 10K asked as everyone began buzzing around, working on the harvest.

"Yea, I'm okay. Sorry I used you as a block. I got a little nervous because of this." I explained as I opened my hoodie pocked to reveal the Z-Weed I had taken.

10K took me by the arm and lead me away from the harvesters. "You could have gotten yourself killed."

"But I didn't..." I smiled at him, making an innocent facial expression to get my point a crossed.

"Let's go!" Warren called out.

10K shook his head and I followed him out of the gates.


	18. Eighteen

After the fiasco that was the harvest camp, we drove for a few days until we were all too tired to continue. Eventually, we found an old barn and settled in for some rest. The barn was your typical country red that had large doors with white X's. It was empty besides some old bails of hay and a few farming tools.

Murphy and Cassandra had claimed a stall of their own, all the while Murphy was complaining about being hot and tired and not getting enough respect.

Vasquez and 10K had gone off to hunt in the nearby woods. They were hoping to get a hold of some dinner. Although we still had some dry supplies left, we were running out quickly. I guess when you have an entire group to feed verses only two small girls, things go faster.

I was laying a crossed a large square bail of hay, watching Warren and Addy sort and take inventory of our weapons. Doc was propped up next to us and he looked bored. Unfortunately, Doc didn't have anything to work on.

"Hey Doc, want to go exploring around the outside of the barn? See if we can find anything?" I asked, sitting up.

He wearily looked at me. "There's nothing exciting out there. It would have already made it's presence known."

"I beg to differ. Plus, the wind feels great." I went into my bag.

"Might as well." He agreed.

I grabbed my machete and Doc holstered his gun to his belt. We opened the barn door a few inches and slipped through the crack. The summer breeze felt amazing on this hot day. The field where the barn was located was swaying with the wind. I was at peace with this place and if I could convince the others to stay here, I would. I took in a deep breath and walked to the side of the barn.

"Hey Doc, you still have those papers and that matchbook, right?" I asked with a grin.

His face lit up at the suggestion. "I sure do! Oh man, this is just what I need right now."

I chuckled.

He pulled out the rolling paper and rolled a joint from the Z-Weed bud I handed him. We both walked out into the field and took turns passing it back and forth.

"I'm really sorry about Mia, I know it's got to be hard traveling a crossed the country with strangers." A cloud of smoke left his mouth as he talked.

"Thank you. I mean, I wouldn't want to travel with any other group of strangers. " I smiled, pulling my dark brown hair up into a high ponytail. "10K makes it a little easier." I added.

Doc passed me the joint and a huge grin was playing on his face. "That kid is the best. He can kill a Z with a paperclip and has a heart larger than Texas."

"I can believe it." I agreed. "It's too bad about Cassandra, I wish I could have known her before."

The breeze was strong enough to blow Doc's white hair into his face, he slicked it back with his hand. "She was a good girl. I can understand why 10K took a liking to her but I'm not sure that it was what he thought it was."

"Well in this world, we can only hope for something, even if it isn't exactly what you want." The joint was finished and I flung it to the side.

"It's gotta be what you need." Doc added as he stood up and stretched his arms to the sky.

Just then I could see Vasquez and 10K coming from the woods, carrying some type of animal that would soon become our dinner. I sat there for a few minutes just taking in the beautiful day. Even with the disaster that was the human race, alive or dead, mother nature still won. I noticed a small clear bottle sticking out from the grass. I headed inside after Doc.


	19. Nineteen

I was lying on my back looking at the dark sky through a crack in the barn roof. I could hear a light snore coming from Doc as he slept on a pile of hay. Warren and Vasquez were sleeping strangely close to one another, Addy fell asleep holding her bat like a teddy bear and Murphy was still in his stall with Cassandra. I heard the faint sound of footsteps outside. It was 10K's turn to take watch. The past two nights at the barn had been quiet and I didn't expect tonight to be any different. I slowly climbed down from the barn loft and headed outside. The summer night was cool but still warm enough to not need a jacket. My loose gray tank top was enough to keep me warm.

"10K." I whispered, looking around for him.

He turned the corner at the sound of his name.

"Hey." I smiled.

"Hey." He replied simply.

"Anything exciting?" I asked, already knowing the answer.

He shook his head.

"Good." I replied, walking over to the small bottle that caught my eye earlier. I picked it up and just as I expected, it was a full pint of vodka, unopened.

I walked a few feet away from the barn so that I didn't wake anyone from their slumber. 10K followed after me and slung his rifle over his back. I cracked the green top and took a swig, it burned my chest and it caused me to make a sour face. I shook it off and handed the bottle to 10K. He took it from my hand, taking a larger swig and having the same reaction.

We passed the bottle back and forth a few more times and ended up laying in the grass looking up at the sky. The night was full of stars and the moon seemed to be taking up the whole sky.

"How'd you get so good with a rife?" I was curious.

10K shrugged, "I don't know. I guess because after my Pa died, I was on my own. All there was to do was kill Zs. Practice, I assume."

"What happened to your Dad?" I asked.

He took a long swig of the bottle and passed it back to me. "We were fishing, things went south. They were coming from every direction and I had no idea what was going on. My father saved my life but he eventually got injured. He was dying but he made me promise that I wasn't going to let him become on of those things."

I listened as his voice got deeper. The story was sad and planted the imagine of a younger 10K running for his life instead of sniping the Zs in their heads. We were all different now, it would be hard to try and go back to the people we used to be.

"Did you have anyone special in your life before everything went to shit?" He asked.

I could feel the buzz kicking in from the liquor. "Are you asking me if I had a boyfriend?" I laughed.

He laughed with me and nodded his head.

"There was a boy, he was a friend but he wasn't a boyfriend. His name was Brandon. We went to the same high school, hung out with the same people and spent a lot of free time together. I guess I liked him a little bit but it wasn't anything serious. I'm not sure what happened to him since I was in Cheyenne when everything started." I turned over on my side, to face 10K as I answered.

We heard a noise in the field and 10K sprung up, pointing his rifle in the direction of the sound. I watched him scan the area until his rifle landed on a deer, who was chewing on some grass. I laughed. "Good one." I said as I pushed him back down to the ground.

The vodka was gone, so I lit up a joint of Z-Weed that Doc had rolled me before he had fallen asleep. I used my hands to block the joint from the wind as 10K lit the end with a match. I inhaled and the cherry of the joint burned a deep amber. I held the smoke in for a few seconds before coming close to 10K's lips, I blew the smoke into his mouth and he inhaled. I giggled at the closeness.

He took the joint from my hands and did the same. This time he pulled me towards him so that I was straddling his lap. My body tingled from the combination of vodka, smoke and 10K's hands on my hips. 10K let the joint fall to the ground as he brought his lips up to mine, closing the distance. His lips were soft as he placed them on mine. I kissed back. I wrapped my arms around his neck and fell into the kiss. 10K's tongue asked for permission and I granted it. The kiss deepened and I could feel his hands trailing up my shirt. The summer breeze blew my hair around as he lifted my shirt over my head. I breathed into him and he turned me over so my back was on the ground and he was on top of me. He trailed kisses down my body and started to undo my pants button. I relaxed into the moment.


	20. Twenty

"Warren, what's the real plan here? I'm getting the sneaking suspicion that Murphy is more trouble than he's worth. I mean, we run into trouble in almost every town and we aren't even sure that the doctors are alive." It was just Warren and I packing up the truck.

She gave me the side eye as she made sure everything was strapped in. "I know it seems that way now. It seemed that way to all of us but we are running off of hope and this group is family."

I nodded. "I understand that you guys feel that way and I respect that but I'm not sure I have much hope for myself."

Warren stopped what she was doing and sat on the tailgate of the truck. I sat next to her. "There's nothing you have to hope for?" She asked me.

I studied her face as she asked the question, trying to read her expectations. "I want Mia to be here and I wish the world never went to shit."

"The key word in that sentence is 'wish', those are things you wish for, not things you are hopeful for." Warren replied, pointing towards the others. "We all wish we could have people back but we can't. It can't be a reason for us to stop moving forward and hoping that we can deliver the answer to the outbreak. We can't just dwell on our past lives but we have to strive to make new ones. We will never forget about the people we lost but we find new people. We help them and if we are lucky, we feel for them the way humans should feel."

"Like how 10K feels for Cassandra." I spoke in agreement.

"No honey, the way 10K feels about you." Warren smiled.

"What?" I rolled my eyes.

"I keep a close eye on this group and I notice things. I notice the way you both look at each other and the way he is always pacing when you're not in eye sight. Plus, you guys have been sharing your shifts at night. Whether there is romance blooming or friendship, it's what I mean about feeling something." Warren explained as the others walked over.

"Ready to roll sisters!" Addy sang as she hoped into the truck.

I smiled and hopped in behind her.

We were all piled into the large truck, heading out on our mission. The thing keeping this group going. I wouldn't say it was something that kept me going but it was growing on me.

"I wish I could just live there." I whispered quietly to 10K who was sitting next to me.

He followed my gaze to the barn that we were leaving. The sun shined down on the red painted wood. You would think the world was a perfect place if all you saw was the barn and that meadow.

"Maybe one day." He whispered back. His lips were so close to my ear that I shivered slightly at the warmth of his breath.

My mind briefly flashed back to the field a few nights ago. To how the night breeze felt against my bare skin and how his breath felt on my neck. I shook myself from the moment, reminding myself that I was in a car full of people.

"Wait a minute. Isn't that Serena?" Addy said as we drove down the road.

"Serena the pie chick from that crazy lady camp?" Murphy perked up.

Addy gave Murphy a look of disgust as she motioned Warren to pull over. Warren did as Addy asked and I took in the sight. A pregnant women out roaming the streets of the zombie apocalypse? That didn't seem right to me. Another thing that didn't seem right to me was the fact that she was three times as big as any pregnant women I ever saw.

Addy got out of the car to greet her and they exchanged a short hug. Serena explained her story as we all intently listened.

"Murphy? Our Murphy?" Doc asked in shock when she pointed to who was responsible for her growing belly.

I shook my head. "It's like a video game. Each town is a level filled with more and more craziness we have to get through.

10K chuckled but Warren gave me a disapproving look. I could tell she didn't always like my commentary, especially since it wasn't normally positive.

I watched as Serena and Murphy walked off to have a talk. The rest of us stretching our legs and chatting about making room for Serena on our journey.

I felt someone standing close behind me but I didn't say anything. I knew it was 10K by his stealthiness and my complete ease.

"10K, can you help me with this?" Doc hollered from the truck.

10K made a point of squeezing my hand before he walked off.


	21. Twenty-One

We had been driving for about a day and were packed like a can of stale sardines. I was more than excited when we pulled over in a small town.

"Hello, Wisconsin!" I lightly shouted as we hopped out of the truck.

It earned me some questionable stares from the group.

"Not a thing to do, but talk to you." Doc began to sing as he loaded his gun.

"We're all alight!" I laughed as he did the same.

"Okay, let's split up and see what we can find. Don't take too long." Warren instructed.

Before we decided on groups, Doc and Addy had already started off towards the old Rite-Aid and Warren went with Vasquez towards another small shop. Cassandra, Murphy and the Baby Mama were all staying behind, Cassandra on watch like a dog. I followed 10K into the back door of a consignment shop. Once we cleared the area we began to look around.

"This place probably smelled like death before the apocalypse." I stated as I wandered around.

"These stores aren't so bad. You can find antiques that are worth good money." 10K was looking at the objects enclosed in the glass case.

"What good would that be now? Soon, our corpses will be antiques as well." My breath hitched as I realized what I had said.

"Is that all any of this is to you? A death sentence." 10K was frustrated.

I pulled a few items of clothing off of hangers and shoved them in my bag. I'm sure someone would need something. "I'm sorry, I should learn to think before I speak."

"Or maybe you should learn to start thinking all together." 10K said in a low tone as he lost interest in whatever he was so fascinated by a few moments ago.

I watched him walk out the back door. I sighed, looking around one last time. There was nothing here that could help us. I began to follow in 10K's footsteps but stopped as I passed the glass case that had 10K so interested. I looked inside to see nothing but women's jewelry. Beautiful stones, silver and golds. There were necklaces, bracelets and rings. I smiled. I would have loved these back when it mattered. I opened the back door.

10K was leaning against the brick wall. "Have you always been a cynic? Or was it the end of the world that brought that on?" He asked.

I turned to him. Damn, did he look good. "Were you always a sniper dressed in black? Or was it the end of the world that brought that on?

He stood up straight, walking a few paces, leaving him standing in front of me. "Hmm sarcastic." His tone was dominant. I grinned back up at him. He lifted me up and my legs wrapped around his waist, my hands around his neck. He turned back around and my back was being pressed up against the brick wall.

10K was planting rough kisses all over my neck and I gripped him. His mouth met mine with the same craving that I had for him. We were pulled from the moment by a quick beeping of the car horn.

"Shit." He said.

I returned to my feet and we both booked it back to the front of the shops.

There was a parade of zombies decked out in cheese costumes headed this way.

"You've gotta be kidding me." I stated, pulling my gun.

"Wait, we can't take them all on. I've got an idea." Warren started as she went for the large round cheese.

Serena was throwing up on the side of the road. The rest of us were standing on edge, waiting to hear Warren's plan.

"Remember Philadelphia?" She asked.

It seemed like Vasquez and I were the only ones left out of this little memory as the others began smiling. Addy rushed over to help Warren push the giant circle of cheese down the hill.

Once it was released, the cheese began to pick up speed the further it went, it ran straight into the parade of cheese Zs. It ran over multiple Zs as it kept heading down hill, picking up more.

"Let's go, now!" Warren yelled as we all headed back to the truck.

I backed away in shock as I continued to watch the large cheese pick up zombies.

"Level up." 10K grinned as he grabbed my arm, helping me into the car.


	22. Zombaby!

"These type of people freak me out." I thought out loud as we walked up the dirt path.

I watched timidly from the back of the group as we approached the men in farming outfits. I knew that we didn't have much choice with Serena about to have her baby. Not to mention we were just shot at a few hours ago by some maniac group of survivors. We knew people were here because Vasquez had been following leads on a walkie-talkie that picked up the Zero's communications.

"Don't be so judgmental." Addy said from her spot beside me.

"Horror movies start like this." I stated, crossing my arms in front of me. This motion seemed to be a habit of mine. Whenever I became nervous, my arms almost became a barrier between the world and myself.

"Look around, we're already in one." She replied.

Addy was right but I couldn't help that any group of people who always played nice and were known to be pure, freaked me out. I mean no one can be that good, there's skeletons in everyone's closet.

I listened as Warren explained our situation to the men in overalls. The man with light colored hair gave us a look of sympathy but it quickly turned back to defensiveness. "We can't help you."

Warren sighed and tried one last plea, while motioning to Serena, who was holding her large belly.

The man shook his head. "It's not that we don't want to help you, it's that we can't. There's something you don't know." The man glanced back at his two companions before continuing. "We have Anthrax here." His voice was smooth and the slight accent gave the sentence a creep factor.

Warren perked up at his reasoning. She backed away a few steps, which caused us all to do the same. "We understand and we should get going."

The man let his lips curl up into a warming smile and nodded his head in a silent goodbye.

I turned and began walking down the path towards the truck. I watched the beautifully kept green grass reflect the sunlight.

I heard a thud from behind me. When I turned around to see what caused it, I saw 10K laying on the ground. In a second I was by his side before I was being pulled away by Vasquez. "It's Anthrax. Let Doc handle it, he's been vaccinated. The last thing we need is two sick people."

My heart was beating a mile a minute. I didn't know much about Anthrax other than what I had seen in the news or in action movies pre-apocalypse. Doc was carrying 10K towards the men who motioned for us to come back. Probably feeling guilty because they were the ones who caused this.

10K was rushed into a room full of sick people who were all infected with Anthrax. I watched as a women sat on the small stool next to 10K and used a rag to clean off all the white powder. The next think I knew, Serena was screaming bloody murder. The group rushed towards her and took her out of the sick room and towards another barn. Doc and I stayed with 10K, still watching the women clean him up and administer some antibiotics.

"Doc, he's going to be okay right?" I asked.

"With those antibiotics he should be back to kicking Zs asses soon enough." He answered.

The women gave us a side glance and shook her head. She quickly gathered her things and high tailed it towards the door. I grabbed her by the arm. She turned to look at me, fear in her eyes. I loosened my grip and softened my expression. "Mam, there's enough antibiotics right?"

She looked at me with saddened eyes. "No." Her voice was almost inaudible.

"No?" I repeated back. Maybe too loudly because she flinched in front of me. I looked back to the multiple sick people, "You're rationing just to keep them alive a little while longer."

She nodded. "We aren't meant to choose who lives and who dies."

"I can choose. How about you save your strongest, your most valuable? 10K is strong and valuable to us. Get it?" My anger rose. Who just lets people lay around being miserable, while prolonging their misery, for them to die anyway?

"Cora, let her go." Doc said from behind me. I realized I was still holding on to the women and she was frozen in fright. As soon as I let go, she was rushing back to wherever she came from.

"I don't get it." I turned to Doc before storming back into the sick bay and sitting on the stool next to 10K.

I watched his chest rise and fall in a labored breath. The antibiotics allowed his body to retrieve enough strength to wake up. His eyes falling on me and he smiled weakly. "I'm going to get you those antibiotics and we are getting out of here." I said in a hushed voice, so that no one else could hear me.

10K squeezed my hand but didn't reply. I stayed there the rest of the day.


	23. Zombaby! II

Before long, 10K gained a bunk mate and her name was Addy. Now, there were two of us who had been infected by the virus and were dying a slow death. Warren was on high alert, trying to formulate a plan to heal our wounded and get down the road. She wasn't as concerned with the situation before Addy became ill. Of course she was worried but she was preoccupied with Murphy and his baby. Now, it was all hands on deck. I resented this a little but I knew she didn't mean it to be that way.

"I don't care. Why would they want their people to suffer long deaths? I'm taking that Cipro." I replied.

Warren and I were in the barn watching Murphy and Doc worry about Serena.

"We have to think this through. These people are nothing but good. We have to make the right decision." Warren replied. I could tell she was being spread thin.

I sighed. "I understand that Warren, I really do but this is 10K we are talking about and Addy. We can't go on without them."

She held my gaze before rolling her neck. I heard it crack and she looked back up to me. "Let me talk to Vasquez." She headed towards the barn door.

"Warren!" I grabbed her attention before she turned the corner. "Whatever it is you decide, I'm still getting those antibiotics, with or without your help."

She lingered for a second before she disappeared outside. I turned my attention to Murphy, who was cringing at Serena's new found strength. She gripped his hand tightly.

"It's coming!" She screamed as she let out a few heavy breaths.

"Damnit." I whispered.

Doc motioned for me to come help and I did so reluctantly. This was ridiculous. Who has a baby in the middle of hell on earth? Over time, I did begin to love these people and I felt like I was part of the group but everything was always so damn extreme. The next fifteen minutes were pure agony for Serena and it wasn't so great for us either.

"Guys!" I screamed when I noticed the undead flowing into the barn.

They weren't attacking. They seemed intrigued by the sight in front of them. The baby finally made its way out of the womb. When I said made its way, I meant crawled out. The baby had piercing eyes and blue skin like Murphy. As the baby girl cried, the Zs that surrounded us became more restless.

"We've gotta get the hell out of here Doc." I said, pulling at his shirt.

"C'mon Murphy, time to go!" Doc said as he gathered up his medical bag.

Warren showed up at the door, taking a few Zs out with her gun. I pulled my machete from the new holster that 10K had made me a few days prior.

"Just go!" I heard Serena say to Murphy as he tried to pull her along. "Save our baby!" She continued.

It took a little more convincing from Doc but we finally got Murphy to make some movement. I slashed a few Zs as we made our way to the barn door. As I exited the barn, I heard fatal screams coming from within. Warren let out a single gunshot and we all hightailed it to the truck.

Addy and 10K were already in the back and I jumped in with them. Warren peeled wheels.

The road was bumpy and I could tell that it was hurting their bones. The antibiotics were working but they didn't work on the pain. My hair blew around as I noticed Warren looking at me through her review. I gave her a smile and she nodded in agreement. I looked back to the farm. We had made the right decision for us but it still didn't suppress the guilt I was feeling for the Mennonites. Although we contracted Anthrax from their farm, they helped us and we just left them in the hands of a horde of zombies. Not to mention it was zombies that we attracted.

I wasn't much of a religious person but I was praying that they were going to make it through.

I leaned back against the side of the truck, sitting close to 10K. I tilted my head back and looked at the sky. It was a pure blue. What a nice day. I was growing tired. I allowed myself to rest my head on 10K's shoulder. Who in turn, rested his head gently against mine.

I drifted off to the sound of cooing, coming from the backseat.


	24. Twenty-Four

We drove for a few days. The weather was on our side and we were taking shifts driving. The only times we stopped were to either switch cars or siphon gas. 10K was becoming more wrapped up in the spiral that was Cassandra. It seemed like she was getting more aggressive and wouldn't leave Murphy's side, he treated her like a slave at times.

"We really need to stop and rest. Lucy needs something real to eat." Addy observed.

Murphy decided to name the baby Lucy and the only thing we had been able to feed her was sugar water. Which meant she hasn't stopped crying in what seemed like forever.

"Let's clear this area and we can set up camp." Warren stated as we pulled off the road and plowed through the woods and got as far back as possible.

"Got it." I stated, jumping from the car. I made my way a few feet forward, looking for any sign of the undead or other unwanted company. "It's good over here!" I finally yelled.

"Same!" Addy said from the other direction.

Everyone began to stretch their legs and make their own little spot to chill out. Vasquez headed out in the other direction.

"He's been worrying me lately. It seems like he is always disappearing." Warren stated, her eyes following his trail.

"Want me to go check it out?" 10K asked.

"No, I think I'll go. Hold down the fort you guys and keep an eye on him." She pointed sternly at Murphy before heading out to follow Vasquez.

"Murphy, let me take care of her for a while. You need a break." Addy suggested, standing up to walk towards him.

Cassandra jumped up and blocked her path.

"No! You guys stay away from my baby. I don't know what you want to do with her." He insinuated. Him and Cassandra walked a few feet away from us and set up their area.

I sat back against a log, using a smooth rock to sharpen my machete. I watched as 10K lingered a little bit away from us, his eyes fixated on Cassandra. Addy and Doc were talking. I took this opportunity to make my way over to where 10K stood. I stood next to him for a minute before I spoke. "Hey."

He jumped slightly, like he didn't realize I was there. His eyes met mine and he gave me a quick smile.

"So, do you want to go hunting or something?" I suggested.

He shook his head. "I've gotta keep my eye on them."

"Doc and Addy will watch them for a little bit." He really was pulling back.

"It's okay, why don't you ask Addy to go with you or something?" 10K suggested, rolling his T-Shirt sleeves up as far as he could.

I rolled my eyes. I felt a wave of frustration take over. "Gotcha. Well, I was asking you, so it was you I wanted to go with. Just forget it."

10K looked down at me, realizing my annoyance but didn't make an attempt to say anything. I shook my head. "I'll just let you get back to zombie watching." I looked over to Cassandra, so he understood.

I walked past where Addy and Doc were sitting and continued down the path. I needed to take a walk. The uneven dirt and leaves under my feet crunched as I walked forward. It was eerily quiet and the wind blew the tree branches slightly. I wasn't sure why I was so upset. It wasn't like me to get my feelings hurt quickly. This was another reason why I had second thoughts about becoming a member of a group all those months ago. Being surrounded by people meant that there were feelings involved. You tend to get attached. It wasn't like 10K and I were official. I know for damn sure that there wasn't a reason for labels in this world. That's what made it worse, it was like the other night was the farthest thing from his mind. If Cassandra wasn't the way she was, that night wouldn't have happened.

That hurt more. I was second to him. I was just a filler because he couldn't have what he wanted.

I found myself sitting on a flat rock, overlooking a calm river. The sun shined down, making the water glisten.

I was dirty. I was lonely. I was bored.

I stripped out of my jeans and shirt. I sat my boots down on the rocks and I let the water enfold me. The water was the perfect temperature and it felt amazing. I needed this relaxation, even though I knew I couldn't stay here too long without something going wrong. There probably was no real peace left anywhere on this earth. I went under and allowed the water to soak my hair, pulling out all the knots. When I came up, my heart stopped as I saw someone standing where I had left my clothing.

"Shit 10K, what the fuck." I breathed and rested my panic.

I rubbed my face and I finally got a good look at him. He was holding his gun still and I could see splatters of blood. He began to undress. I didn't make a move to meet him and I didn't say anything. He looked like he was in a daze, something terrible just happened.

He entered the water with not so much as a glance in my direction. He scrubbed the specs of blood from his face and hands. He was trying to wash away whatever just happened.

Once he was done he turned to me. "I'm not sure where the others went. Murphy took Lucy and ran. They were supposed to go find them."

It was interesting that he wouldn't have gone. "Where's Cassandra?" I asked almost already knowing the answer.

10K ran a hand through his now wet hair. "It was her or me. I had to give her mercy."

I didn't say anything for a moment because I knew he did the right thing but if I told him that, there would be an argument. "I'm sorry."

His eyes shot up to mine. "Are you?" He asked seriously.

"It's always sad when someone has to die." Was all I said as I decided I was done with my bath.

I walked through the water and headed towards the rock. As I passed him, I felt him grab my body and pull me close. He embraced me in a long hug and I hugged back in comfort. I could feel his hands began to wander and he put his lips hungrily onto mine.

I pushed off him, putting distance between us. "Just don't. You're upset about Cassandra, so be upset about her. Leave me out of it."

I quickly exited the water and began to put my clothes on. An embarrassed 10K kept his eyes focused everywhere but my body as he followed.

"Let's just go find the others." I stated dryly as I ran my fingers through my wet hair.


	25. Zombie Baby Daddy

A/N: Just a reminder. I am going to be leaving a few things out of this story. Also, thanks for the reads & reviews. Especially, to those of you that have been a fan since chapter 1 and continue to review! =]

We trekked through the woods, back towards camp. The sun was getting low and we needed to find the others before nightfall.

"I'm really sorry for coming on to you back there." 10K's voice was soft from his spot next to me.

"That's not what this is about. It's about you trying to replace her with me." If he wanted to know why, I wasn't someone to keep my mouth shut.

"What are you talking about?" His strides began to meet mine and his eyes were on me.

"You know what I mean." This was aggravating.

10K got in front of me and stopped me in my path. He looked down at me intensely. "You're not a replacement."

I stared back up at him, listening to his words. "If we were still in that water, you would have wished that I was Cassandra, at some point. You want to tell me any different?"

"I know you aren't Cassandra. I don't want you to be Cassandra in anyway. I'm not replacing her with you. There was an unfortunate course of events that lead me to you but I don't wish it any different." 10K was still standing in my way.

"Okay." I replied simply as he stepped to the side.

We were nearing camp and I could hear the others.

"You know, the other night wasn't something I've ever done before." 10K was talking like it didn't matter if I was listening. "There's a connection on this end, whether there is on yours or not."

That was all he said and he wasn't expecting a reply, so I let the words sink in but I stayed silent. A few more minutes and we were back at camp with everyone else.

Warren informed us of Murphy's latest antics and this time it resulted in a missing baby. I worried that one day we were going to come across this child and it would turn out to be the last day of our lives.

"It's getting dark. We will stay here for the night and then make our way forward in the early morning." Warren decided.

I walked over to Addy and grabbed one side of the blanket, helping her spread it out. We didn't have much but we were lucky enough to have a few blankets packed away in the truck.

"Thanks. Man, the missing Lucy thing is really giving me the creeps." She confessed as she sat her bat down and stretched out on the blanket.

I sat down next to her. "You're telling me? I'll probably have a nightmare about it tonight."

We allowed ourselves to laugh like we were back in high school.

"We are always on the go and everyday is an adventure. Sometimes it makes me wonder what my house looks like now." I unlaced my boots so they weren't as tight on my feet.

She looked over to me. "It might be radioactive by now. I understand though. After all that time being calm and in hiding, now you're out here with us. It's still gotta be hard sometimes."

I nodded in agreement. "It is but I've grown to really like you guys."

"And 10K even more than us." She smirked.

"Liking someone that way in this kind of world fills me with anxiety." My hands began to become clammy at the thought.

I understood that 10K didn't want to hurt me and that he didn't want me to be anyone I wasn't. That didn't mean that I wasn't terrified. I could wake up in the morning and anyone of us could be dead. I was so used to playing childish games with boys pre-apocalypse, that it was foreign to have something so straight forward. However, there was no time for bullshit anymore.

"That's why you shouldn't wait. What are you doing on my blanket?" Addy pushed my shoulder in playfulness.

I watched as 10K laid his rifle next him. His blanket was set up a few feet from the center of camp, under a large tree. A black tarp draped over the low hanging branches to make it feel more like a tent.

I said goodnight to Addy and lifted myself off of the ground.

10K looked up at me in surprise.

"Do you mind?" I motioned to the spot next to him.

He scooted over, making more room and inviting me in. I slid off my plaid button up, leaving me with just my white top. I laid back and sighed at the feeling of the hard ground under my stiff back. "So you feel a connection."

10K was messing with the bandana he took off his head. "I already told you I did."

I smirked at his slight attitude. "Are you tired?"

"I am but it's been hard to fall asleep. I find myself just watching." He admitted, throwing his bandana to the side.

"What's your favorite color?" I smiled.

"What?" He chuckled at my question.

"I want to get to know you. Not just the guy who snipes Zs and keeps count. I want to know the pre-apocalypse you, the real you." I positioned myself so that my head was resting in his lap.

10K covered me with the covers and began playing with my hair. It was a simple but strong gesture.

"Red." He answered.

I closed my eyes in relaxation as I felt 10K's fingers running through my hair. "What's your favorite food?"

"Italian. Are these questions really important?" 10K's answer was quick.

I pulled up from my position and put myself onto 10K's lap. He smiled at my movement and held onto my waist.

"If we weren't living in a dead world, these questions would be important. If we were dating I would want to know your favorite food, so that I could make it for you. I would need to know what color gifts to buy you for Christmas. It all would be relevant." I explained, planting a small kiss on his cheek.

10K's eyes traveled from my own, to my lips, to my hair. "I guess you would be calling me Tommy, instead of 10K."

The sentence made my breath hitch. _Tommy._

His lips met mine for the second time today but this time it was welcomed. My hands held his neck as I deepened the kiss. I smiled as I felt a wave of tingling shoot through my body, ending in between my legs. 10K took a heavy breath, feeling the same thing. He flipped me over onto my back and began kissing my neck. I turned my head to the left and pushed him away slightly as I remembered we were still in eye sight of the others. 10K realized why I stopped and fell down next to me. I relaxed into him as his arms wrapped around me. I fell asleep to the sound of the breeze and the rise and fall of 10K's chest.


	26. Twenty-Six

_I woke up in a familiar place but something about the scene didn't seem real. I was spread out in my bed. As I looked around the room, I noticed that everything seemed abnormally clean. I slowly climbed out of bed and realized I was in my white high school graduation gown, something I knew wasn't right. As I walked toward the hallway, I noticed that my footsteps weren't making any sounds. I headed down the steps and into the kitchen. The pale sunlight that shined through the blinds showed a light green dusting over every surface of the house. I bent down to get a better look at the substance on the counter. I heard the quick movement of footsteps behind me. I whipped around just in time to see a black shadow move from one side of the living room to the other. Fear took over me as I looked around for a weapon. I opened the drawers that contained the knives but they had all disappeared._

 _"Cora." I heard a voice say quickly from the living room._

 _The voice spoke my name so quickly that I wasn't sure if I was imagining things. I slowly walked towards the archway of the living room. The sunlight that was lighting up the entire house didn't shine into the far side of the living room. The darkness seemed dense, like you could reach out and touch it._

 _My eyes concentrated on the darkness, looking for any sign of movement._

 _All of a sudden a face came shooting out from the darkness. Its mouth twisted in an evil grin and its teeth shedding black liquid. It was a mega Blaster. I fell to the ground as it came bolting out of the darkness. It ran swiftly past me and began running through the house like a caged animal. I heard a rumbling. Before I knew it, an endless string of dirty Blasters came charging from the darkness. Breaking windows and lamps as they wildly ran around the house._

 _I crawled towards the front window that had been broken. In some miracle I was going unnoticed to the Blasters running through the house. I crawled up and out, landing on the front porch. I was about to run as fast I could when I noticed groups of people in the distance, shooting at each other. I took a quick turn, holding my gown as I ran towards the back yard. I was headed towards the woods when I saw Mia's grave. The dirt that should have been dry and compact was still soaking wet. It was spread out along the lawn. I ran towards the grave, landing on my knees when I realized that Mia was no longer in her grave. I replayed the gun shot that ended her undead life. I was sure I gave her proper mercy._

 _"Hello." A small voice came from behind me._

 _I turned quickly to see Mia, covered in the green dusting and her eyes glowing a strange hint of white._

 _"Mia..." I gasped._

 _She kept walking towards me, repeating her greeting. I kept replying but she couldn't hear me._

 _"Why are you ignoring me?" She screamed. The voice was no longer hers. "You were supposed to come with me. That was your plan wasn't it? You were supposed to follow me." Mia continued to scream._

 _I continued to back away as the Blasters made their way outside. All I could hear was Mia screaming, the grunting of all the Blasters running wildly through the yard and the gun shots raining in the distance._

 _"Do it. You have to do it. You promised." Mia begged as her fingers contoured in a strange way._

 _Finally, there was a gun shot that was so loud that it had to be close. I blinked and everything changed. I was the one holding the gun, the gun-smoke rising towards the sky. The Blasters had disappeared and the shootout had ceased. In front of me wasn't a green Mia but the baby sister I knew my entire life. Her lifeless body lying on the ground with a single gun wound to her head. The grass was freshly cut and the birds flew in the summer sun._

 _"What in God's name have you done?!" My Uncle ran out from the house as I noticed a few other people coming out from their own homes. Their hands covering their mouths in shock._

 _My Uncle ran to Mia's side, holding on to her small body as he let out a cry of desperation._

 _I stood up and looked around at the crowd gathering around the scene. I suddenly heard police sirens in the distance._

 _The gun was no longer in my hand but instead a red button appeared in my palm. I quickly pressed it, wanting nothing more than to leave the current situation._

 _The sky went dark, the people disappeared and my white graduation gown was now covered in blood. There was a knife in my left hand and a stab wound in my abdomen._

"Cora! Hey!" I felt hands trying to shake me awake.

I sat up with a start and immediately pushed myself away from the person in front of me. 10K kneeled with wide eyes. My breathing was rapid and I felt like I was on a verge of a panic attack.

"Is she okay?" Doc asked 10K as I noticed the group now closing in on me.

"You were really flipping out..." Addy trailed off.

"Just give me space." I managed to choke out. I pulled myself to my feet and walked off a few yards. It was now daytime and I knew we had to get going. I rested my hands on my knees, focusing on my breathing and pushing the dream from my mind. I glanced over at 10K who was still watching me as he packed up his things.

 _I was supposed to follow._ I thought to myself, looking for the significance in what I just experienced.


	27. We Were Nowhere Near the Grand Canyon

I could feel the beads of sweat dripping from my hair line. My throat was sore from the dryness and I was so hungry that my stomach even stopped growling in protest. Now, it was just a silent pain that got worse as I walked farther. We had been traveling for what seemed like eternity. Everyone was on edge and the bickering began to get worse.

"It wasn't your right to give her mercy." Murphy continued.

"You don't decide who gets to do what." 10K lashed back.

This argument was now a moot point. What was done, was done and no one could change the outcome.

"She was just fine!" Murphy hollered back as we all moved forward at a slow pace.

I rolled my eyes. Murphy didn't try to understand anything that didn't benefit him in some way. I'm sure he missed her attack dog loyalty and the foot rubs but 10K actually missed the person she was before. "Murphy, why don't you just shut the fuck up?" I uttered in a dry voice.

Murphy placed his hand on his chest in mock surprise. "I can't believe it! The replacement is defending your honor."

I could feel 10K's body shake beside me as he lunged forward, grabbing Murphy up by the shirt. "Say what you want about me but don't ever bring her into it again." Murphy looked taken back by the deep anger in 10K's voice.

It was a surprise to see the caring, shy and calm male become so heated. I smirked slightly as Warren pulled 10K off of Murphy. 10K walked back over to me, slinging his arm around my shoulders and looking back at Murphy with assertiveness. Everyone in the group knew that if the situation wasn't what it was, that 10K would have killed Murphy a long time ago. It still felt good to know he would protect me.

"Listen, we need to get to higher ground. We are getting slower and I would bet that the Zunami are gaining speed." Doc declared as he pointed to the mountains.

"Our ATV's won't make it up the mountain on the gas they have left. What we need to do is find shelter." Vasquez argued.

"We could head off in that direction. I saw a sign a few miles back that said there was a casino somewhere this way." I suggested, pulling my pack tighter on my back.

"That could be a plan. Casinos are huge and normally have panic rooms." Vasquez agreed with me.

Doc shook his head in protest as Addy hoped onto an ATV." I still stand by the fact that we need to head high."

"Why don't we split up and check out the different options." Warren stated, gassing up her ATV.

I stood back and listened to the rest of the group consider the options that were on the table. After a short debate it was decided that we were going to voluntarily split up and see what we can see. Warren motioned for Murphy to get onto her ATV, Vasquez on his own in the front and Addy looking at me for my decision. 10K's hand gripped tighter around my arm.

"I'll be good." I said to him.

"No." He whispered sternly down at me.

It wasn't that I didn't believe climbing to higher ground was a good idea, I just didn't want to do it. I knew 10K had to go with Doc because of how close they were and I wouldn't stand in the way of that. After my dream over a week ago, I had found myself more attached to 10K. My feelings for him were getting stronger. I was using him as an anchor so that I wouldn't have to deal with my own thoughts. I wanted him around me but I had to take some separation time. As I hugged him goodbye, he continued to whisper protests in my ear.

I hopped on the back of Addy's wheels and we headed off in search of the casino. I glanced back to see the retreating back of Doc and the potential love of my life. My lips pressed together in regret as I turned my eyes forward.

I could see a tall building in the distance. Obviously, the others noticed the same thing because the speed of the ATV's began to increase. I squinted my eyes as much as I could to keep the flying dust from scratching them. The building got bigger and bigger as we moved forward. Eventually, you could read the words North Quest Casino Resort.

We slowed to a stop out front of the casino and were met with unfriendly faces.

"Keep on moving. We don't want any outsiders here." One man grunted, holding a machine gun against his chest.

Warren and Vasquez stepped forward, their hands in front of them to show they meant no harm. Warren went on to explain about the horde of zombies and our eye in the sky Citizen Z.

The man who seemed to be in charge dismissed the claims and asked us to kindly leave his property.

We were about to do as he asked when a female voice came from behind the men. "Dad, I think we should listen to them."

"I told you to stay inside." Was all her father said as she made her way to the front.

"Dad, they've been out there, fighting this with no shelter. I believe in what they say." She gave her father a look of command.

"Please excuse my father, he is a bit stubborn. Please, come in." She gestured to us to follow her inside the gates.

We did so cautiously, keeping our eyes on the men with guns.

We ended up in the room at the top of the Casino. It looked to be the old control room, where they would watch the floor and monitor their customers. I sat down on a chair in the corner, watching everyone else talk. Addy began working on the radio system, attempting to get in touch with Citizen Z and see if he could give us an estimate on to Zunami.

I watched Warren explain the horde in more depth. The men listened. I could tell the expression on some of their faces changed as the dilemma became more real. Chief Firecloud's daughter left to the Sacred Cliffs.

I sat in the background looking out of the window. We were very high up and it was making me nervous. I'm sure the building wasn't as strong as it was supposed to be. I thought about the dream. It was something I hadn't been able to shake. Since I've been with this group, I tried to push my previous plan to the back of my mind. I guess my subconscious was telling me to deal with it. I'm not sure why I felt guilty for forming a relationship with these people, for falling for 10K, for finding another reason to live. My demons were trying to take over but I was going to fight till the death.

Suddenly, I realized how much I missed being by 10K's side.

"We need to leave. NOW!" Warren announced.

She certainly didn't have to tell me twice. I got to my feet and descended the steps.


	28. Twenty-Eight

After the fiasco at the Casino, we followed Chief Firecloud's daughter towards the Sacred Cliffs. I didn't say much when her father decided he was going to go down with his casino. The way a captain would go down with his ship. I understood the feeling and all I could think about was getting back to the kid with the red bandana.

Doc and 10K stayed behind with the Chief's son, as they were formulating a plan to point the zombies in the wrong direction. As we traveled through the wooded area above the desert, we listened to the Chief's daughter relaying the plan to us. She also indicated that it was our own Doc who came up with the plan. After some herbal remedies, of course.

I fell towards the back of the group. The group in front of me rounded a large boulder. I was only a few paces behind but it was enough for me to lose sight of them. I felt a large gloved hand cover my mouth. I was pulled roughly in the opposite direction. I felt a needle being stuck into my neck and my muscles instantly relaxed. My mind becoming black.

When I woke, I was lying on a large bed that was lined with dark purple silk sheets. I tried to move but realized my ankles were cuffed to chains that were attached to the bed posts.

 _What the fuck._

It was the only thing that came to mind as I looked around the room. It was extravagant, painted in dark royals and black. My neck ached as I turned my head to the side. I vaguely remembered being stuck with a large needle. I greatly missed my dirty jeans and button up. It had been replaced with a baby doll nighty, in a dark silk that made me look like part of the room. There were no clues around me indicating where I was or who I was with. One thing I knew, was that anyone as crazy as this, wouldn't be easily played. I was quickly regretting not offing myself back when I had the choice. Maybe 10K wasn't real and I escaped into an alternate reality. Instead, this had been my life. I heard heavy footsteps coming down the hall. I laid myself back onto the bed and closed my eyes, keeping my breathing steady and to a minimum.

The large door swung open and I heard someone walk in.

"She's still asleep. Are you sure you fools didn't overdose her?" A women's voice asked. Her voice reminded me of Cruella De Vil.

"No Mam. It was just enough. She's just malnourished, it takes longer for the drug to fade." A man's voice replied.

"She's exactly what I've been looking for. Please, tell your men that this one isn't only for fun. I'm staking my claim to her as of right now." The bed sunk to my left and I could feel her sitting next to me.

I kept my breathing still as she touched my arms and hair. "Actually, tell your men, hands off."

This was all she said before I heard her heels exit the room, followed by the man. The door slammed and I opened my eyes once again. I knew I had to do something. I needed to get out of this place. Who knew what she wanted me for. I have no weapons and my ankles are dead bolted to this bed. The only option I had was to play along and find out what it was she wanted.


	29. Party With The Zeros

Over the course of the next few weeks, I did everything La Reina told me to do. She was an extremely strange women. Pure evil ran through her veins but somehow she still cared about people's comfort. Even though I was her little bitch throughout the day, at night I slept soundly in that comfortable silk bed. I was fed, I was also groomed. However, I learned about the fate of some of the other girls that the Zero's brought back. Most were used as sex toys for La Reina's gang and sometimes even La Reina. Then, once they were used goods, they would be sent downstairs to the crazy doctor and a vaccine would be tested on them. They were always test subjects until they either died or they turned. Either way, it was worse than my predicament and clearly they haven't found a cure yet.

La Reina always had females in masks standing close to her and presently I was one of them. These other women started off the same as me. They were either captured or walked in looking for help. After a few weeks of scrubbing shoes, floors and La Reina herself, you moved up. Of course, you had to prove your worth. She would test you, make sure that you weren't defiant. When you were initiated into the gang, you were thrown into a pit with a bunch of Zs and you had to kill them. When you were initiated into La Reina's little girl group, you had to kill a real person. It was always a bad seed that was either stealing, killing or not walking the line. It didn't make it easier. I killed a dark skinned man with a chip on his shoulder. I was instructed to stab him in his gut and finish him off with a bullet to the skull. This was so La Reina could see that we could stomach either type of kill. I wondered why we were killing each other when the real enemy was the undead walking the streets. I didn't dare question it though. Anytime one of us spoke out of turn or didn't complete a task correctly, a beating would follow. When we were recovering, La Reina would always come to comfort us. Like I said, she was a weird women.

My hair was shiny, and blown out into beautiful large curls. The makeup that covered my face was a bronzed color and my eyes were a black smokey. I worse a black pleated dress with large purple heels. They sported spikes on the heel that matched my oversized silver necklace. I couldn't believe that people actually took the time to look like this in a zombie apocalypse.

"Ce-Ce, my dear. Please, refill the champagne." La Reina asked from her seat in the thrown.

I had been hearing the word 'Murphy' thrown around a lot today and I knew we were setting up for a party. My biggest hope was that I would see those people again.

I did as she told me. There were three other women standing along side me. My mask was silver, with black and deep purple designs. Not to mention, a quarter of my face mask was covered in sequins. My lips were such a dark color, you could think they were black.

After a long wait, the new arrivals were escorted into the party.

"Our guests of honor." La Reina stated.

She stood from her seat and we stepped forward with her, still remaining an inch or so behind her.

My eyes scanned the group of people in front of me. My heart sank as they looked on at the scene. Warren's hair was dead straight and she wore a collar necklace that you would think you'd see in a strip club. Addy was done over in true La Reina fashion, with all blacks and purples. Doc's beard was curled ridiculously. Vasquez and 10K wore all black, with some leather accents. My handsome 10K. All I wanted to do was run into his arms but I knew that would cause a swift bullet to both of our heads.

"...Please, enjoy yourselves." La Reina ended her speech and sat back down on her thrown.

The party was in full swing and from the last couple weeks of being here, I knew these people always loved a party.  
I watched my group mingle with the Zeros. It was awkward and distrusting mingling. They couldn't see my face but my eyes never left them. After a while La Reina ordered for us to go check on our new guests and refill their glasses with the expensive champagne.

I held a champagne bottle on a small serving tray as my large heels clicked on the tile floor.

I wasn't supposed to speak to the guests as we were not part of the party. We were for certain people only and never spent time conversing with the other members of this building. It was actually prohibited.

I slowly approached Doc and 10K as they stood by the small Buffett table, pointing at one of the resident whores.

When I reached them, I stood still and held out my hand, silently asking for the glass.

"Oooo weeee, girl, don't them things hurt!?" Doc proposed as he handed over his glass. He couldn't take his eyes off my heels.

I couldn't reply in fear that one of the Zero's would hear me. I turned to 10K, holding out my hand again. He handed me his glass without a word. I only filled his half way and when I gave it back, I made sure that my fingers locked with his. I kept a steady grip and stared into his eyes. After a moment I think he realized what I was trying to say because he inched forward in a rushed manner. I quickly let go of his hand and backed away, still holding his gaze. I let my right hand come up into a small 'stop' signal, I looked around before walking away. I really hope he understood what I was trying to tell him.

"Are our guests having fun?" La Reina asked me as I positioned myself back next to her.

"They are having a great time, nothing like any party that have been to before." I answered in a steady voice.

She smiled her famous grin. The same one she used to show extreme emotion. It could be that she's very excited for these newcomers or that she was dissatisfied and was planning on killing them anyway.

"That tall young man is mighty handsome, don't you think Ce-Ce?" La Reina suddenly asked.

"Very." I replied simply.


	30. Thirty

As the party went on, the news of my presence had passed through the group. I watched as 10K informed Addy and Warren and they turned to look in my direction. I kept my body still and my hands behind my back as we were supposed to. I felt like a statue.

Warren's eyes were then diverted to the hallway leading into the room where the party was being held. Her face was pleading with whoever was walking through the door. I turned my head slightly to Vasquez holding a gun, pointing it at Escorpian's head. I held my breath in anticipation of what was going to happen next. As Vasquez pulled the trigger, Warren's hand knocked the gun in a different direction. The gun sounded off and you could hear the ping of the bullet hitting the roof of the building. I closed my eyes, not knowing what was going to happen next. I knew whatever it was, it wouldn't be good.

La Reina quickly stood, you could tell she was upset as her nostrils flared and her hands were clenched at her sides.

10K looked at me and I shook my head. I could tell he wanted to know if he should spring into action, but I knew a shoot out wouldn't end well. The smallest weapon locker they had still held more guns than our group had in its entirely.

"Escorpian, take this man to the basement." La Reina ordered and my eyes narrowed from behind her.

"Ce-Ce! Grab this women a chair." She demanded at me.

I did what she said as I sat a slightly smaller chair next to La Reina's.

"Warren, come sit by me. You saved my life." La Reina's statement sounded like a suggestion but anything this women said was an order.

Warren locked eyes with me as she climbed the steps and took a seat next to the witch herself. I took a sharp breath in and watched Escorpian and a few of his men drag Vasquez out of the room. The party resumed and Warren is now La Reina's right hand women. Although, it had nothing to do with Warren's well-being, La Reina was only ever concerned with her own agenda. We stood there for another half hour or so before myself and another girl were 'dismissed.' Being dismissed didn't mean we could join the party, it meant we could move on to our other tasks and chores. The other girl and myself exited the room and began our way down the hall. I fell behind a little as she turned into her own bedroom, she was in charge of stitching ruined clothing. This was good because she barely ever came out of her room. I made a quick turn down an adjacent hallway that lead to the door by the buffet. I knew Doc and 10K were still standing there, they hadn't really moved anywhere else the entire party. The pictures that hung on the wall were Mexican inspired and a few had marbles hot glued into images. I pulled a loose marble from the picture as I neared the doorway.

It was my luck that there were no guards on this side of the room. I carefully rolled the marble towards 10K and Doc. It hit Doc's foot but I got no response. I cursed to myself as I pulled another marble from the painting. I rolled it harder this time, watching it as it went in between Doc's legs and hit 10K. I watched as 10K looked at the ground, noticing the yellow colored marble. Finally, his eyes looked around Doc and into the darkness of the hallway door. 10K nodded.

I pressed my back against the wall and waited patiently for 10K to make his way over. I knew he was stealthy and would check all possible ways of getting caught before he made his way over. After a few minutes 10K came through the archway and I pulled him to the side, also pulling up my mask.

Without a word my lips were on his, my legs around his waist. 10K had my back pressed against the wall and I could feel the hunger in his kiss. I heard a door slam in the distance.

"Come on." I said quickly as I pulled off my heels and made a run down the hall. My hand was in 10K's and he was running by my side. I looked up and down the hall before turning and letting us into my room.

"Tommy, I missed you so much." My voice was almost a whine but I couldn't help it as I threw my arms around him again.

"I missed you too." 10K's hands were in my hair and he was holding me tight, not wanting to let go again. "Are you okay?"

"I'm alright. The beginning was the worse, I still have the scars to tell the stories. We have to save Vasquez and then we have to get the fuck out of here." I rushed around the room. "What?" I said sarcastically as 10K just stood there staring at me.

A large grin crept onto his face. "You look good."

I rolled my eyes. "We don't have time for this."

"Murphy is in the lab working with that crazy doctor on a vaccine." 10K informed me.

"You've gotta be kidding me. That guy doesn't know what he is doing." I stated. "You've gotta get back to the party, I just needed to see you again, to touch you."

"You talk like this might not go so well." I could see the disappointment in his face but I knew that the only way for any of this to play out the way I wanted it to was to have the members of my group all acting like they believed in La Reina and in this place.

"Please, don't get caught." I said as I planted one last kiss and pushed him out the door.


	31. Adiós, Muchachos

"What were you doing talking to that kid!?" We were in my bedroom as I stood my ground, watching La Reina scream.

"He's handsome, you said so yourself. I'm tired of being your slave, I deserve some fun too." I replied back. I knew this would make La Reina mad and I was trying to divert all the attention from 10K to myself.

She took a few long steps towards me and we ended up nose to nose. "You little bitch! You deserve what I tell you. It's my sneaking suspicion that you know this kid..."

I held my hand up to stop her. "I don't know him at all."

She slapped my hand down with the back of her own. "Don't you dare interrupt me. As a matter of fact, now that I have Warren sitting by my side, I have room to dispose of one of you."

I met her smile with my own. "Go ahead La Reina."

La Reina brushed a curl from my face and gave me a sympathetic smile before exiting the room. I let out a breath I didn't know I had been holding in and gripped my chest. I was in for it now. I just stood there, waiting for whatever was going to come because I knew that something was coming. I heard heavy footsteps coming down the corridor and I took in a steady breath to calm my nerves. My door swung open and two large men in white and black skeleton masks charged me, they threw a black pillow case over my head and each one grabbed an arm. I could feel my skin being stretched under their fingers, burning slightly. I was being pulled in an unknown direction. The pillow case was over kill because it's not like I haven't been living here for the past few months. Even more, it's not like I would be leaving this place alive. After being brutally dragged, I was picked up and slammed onto a metal table. I felt my wrists and ankles being strapped down. The metal shocked my nerves as I laid against the cold surface.

I heard retreating footsteps.

"This must be our new test subject." I recognized the voice and wanted to scream.

I felt the black pillow case being ripped off my head. I had to close my eyes because they began to water in result of the bright white lights hanging above me. Once my eyes adjusted to the light I was met with Kurian's ugly face. I noticed movement behind him and a blue man poked his head around to look at me.

Murphy's eyes met mine.

"Let her up." Murphy told Kurian.

Kurian gave Murphy a confused look before Murphy began shooting off at the mouth and finally I was unstrapped.

"Thanks." I said quietly, looking at Murphy.

"We thought you were dead. I see you're alive and not so well." Murphy smiled.

They began to clue me in on what was going on. They were going to make a false vaccine and pass it off to La Reina as the real thing. When they took the bait, they would all be injected with the 'cure' and become half-zombies. In turn, Murphy would be able to control them and we could get the hell out of this place.

"They're gonna wonder why I'm not dead." I began as I watched the crazy Doctor fill a bunch of needles with the substance.

"You're right sweetheart, which is why we're going to kill you. Figuratively speaking of course." Murphy grabbed my arm and pretended to bite me.

I jerked my arm out of his blue hand. "What the hell?"

"Im just kidding. Kurian here is the one that's going to be biting you." Murphy boomed.

"What the hell?" I repeated myself.

"We are going to pass you off as the test subject that we used this vaccine on. You need to have a bite mark to show that the antidote worked. I could bite you if you want, but 10K would kill me. Turning you into the second Cassandra and all." Murphy explained.

My eyes narrowed in his direction and I stiffened as Kurian filled the last vile. Kurian walked over to me and held his hand out with a creepy smile. I looked at Murphy again as he nodded for me to go ahead. I sighed deeply before taking a deep breath and giving my arm to Kurian.

"Fuck!" I screamed as he bit down on my right arm as hard as he could. Instantly the skin tore and teeth indents became visible, blood dripping from different areas of the bite.

A small growl escaped my mouth as Kurian just shrugged his shoulders.

All three of us made our way upstairs and into the main hall where La Reina was sitting. Her eyes filled slightly with anger as I came into her view.

Kurian walked forward and presented the vaccine. "She was our first test subject to react fully to the vaccine. As you see, she was bit and there was no effect."

I lifted my arm, which now felt like a big bruise. La Reina and the others looked at the blood dripping from the teeth indents on my arm.

After some more convincing from Kurian, she nodded her head. "I think we need to test it just once more. Vasquez will be the first to get the injection." She announced as Vasquez was brought into the room.

Warren, Murphy and I shared a look. Murphy communicating with his eyes as Warren watched him. Somehow Warren understood what was going on and interrupted La Reina. "I believe the first dose should go to Kurian."

La Reina turned her attention to Warren and told her to continue. As Warren did her best to convince everyone that the mad scientist should receive the first dose, Murphy began to grin and Kurian began to shake.

Finally, Kurian had to inject himself with the false serum. One of the guys in a skeleton mask brought over a zombie that was harnessed to a chain. I cringed a little as the zombie bit down into his arm. La Reina was then satisfied with the effectiveness and ordered all her people to get in line.

One by one Kurian and I began to inject the Zero's with the fake vaccine.

Meanwhile, Warren was worried about Vasquez, as he had disappeared with Escorpian again.

I looked on as our group tried their best to go unnoticed by La Reina, so that they weren't told to be injected. The injections began to make everyone a little woozy and I smiled.

I watched as Murphy controlled the Zombie Zeros, while grabbing a large gun that had been left on the table.

Warren and him were getting into it and before I knew it all hell was breaking loose.

"Shit, shit, shit!" Murphy screamed as he noticed all of our half zombies were turning towards him. I couldn't even tell what was happening but all I saw was Warren decapitating Kurian.

"Addy!" I yelled out acrossed the room, trying to get the groups attention as Warren, Murphy and I hightailed it out of the main room.

"We've gotta get Vasquez!" Warren yelled as we ran down the dark hall.

I followed, checking to make sure my gun was loaded. It was fully stocked and I had it ready to fire.

We stormed the room where Escorpian was holding Vasquez and ended up in a shoot out with a few of Escorpian's minions.

"On your left!" Murphy shouted.

I turned quickly just in time to see a freshly made half zombie coming for me. I pulled the trigger and blasted his brains on the wall.

I nodded in thanks to Murphy as we grabbed Vasquez and headed for the outside world.

It looked like the other half of our group let in the real zombies to cause a diversion. As soon as we were all outside, I leaped into 10K's arms, who held me in an embrace. I let go when I heard Escorpian climb up the ladder.

Him and Vasquez began to fist fight and Warren told us to let it go, this was something that he needed to do.

As soon as Vasquez kicked his sorry ass back down the zombie infested hole, we all booked it.

Addy threw her arm around me and pulled me into a hug, her smile wide and bright. I smiled back, letting her know I missed her too.

I wasn't paying attention and slammed into the back of 10K, who was dead stopped in front of me. I saw the line of El Caminos and the huge smile on 10Ks face.


	32. Day One

We joy rode through most of California in the sick El Caminos but eventually we were busted and had to continue on foot.

I was cuddled in 10K's lap in the corner of an old haunted house attraction in what was left of Disney Land.

"How did it get like this?" Warren thought out loud.

 _I tapped my fingers on the blue table top as I watched Mia push her broccoli around on her plate. "Mia, will you please just eat your vegetables."_

 _"I don't want to. I'm full and I don't like broccoli." She whined from acrossed the table._

 _I rolled my eyes at her antics. "Will you please stop being a brat and eat so we can get out of here. Uncle Joe should be back in just a minute."_

 _Mia rolled her eyes right back, pushing her plate forward. "Who cares if we leave or not."_

 _"That lady over there is creeping me out." I whispered harshly as my eyes darted to the elderly women nodding off._

 _Mia turned her head and peeked at the women I was motioning to. When she turned around she had the same strange look on her face as I did._

 _"She doesn't look right." I said as I scanned the Diner for my Uncle. He was supposed to have gone to the bathroom and paid the check._

 _"Cora, what's that guy doing?" Mia asked me, pointing out of the diner window._

 _I followed her gaze and was shocked at what I saw. There was a man chasing a women and child through the parking lot._

 _I couldn't tear my eyes away from the scene unfolding outside until I heard a loud crash and sharply turned my attention to the inside. The elderly women was now up and laying on top of the other elderly women she was eating with._

 _Mia began to scream._

 _I could see blood tickling down onto the floor before they both hopped up. Their eyes were a foggy yellow and both of their faces were smeared with red._

 _The patrons at the Diner began to run about in a confused panic. I grabbed Mia and held my hand over her mouth, telling her not to scream. I scanned the area again for my Uncle, when one of the elderly women charged forward. I clumsily moved out of the way, picking up my skateboard and hitting her in the head._

 _The women fell to the ground and was in a daze but I knew she would be back up in a second. I felt a hand on my shoulder and I turned to hit the person with my board. I breathed a sigh of relief when I realized it was my Uncle._

 _He was holding a bloody hammer. "Follow me and stay close! Get to the truck!" He yelled as he bashed a few heads in._

 _Mia and I took off to the old Ford and jumped in without a second thought._

 _My Uncle started the engine without delay and we were spinning wheels down the road as fast as could. Uncle Joe did his best to stay straight but there were some unavoidable road blocks. Mia began to cry hysterically as we ran over one of the crazy people with blood on their face._

 _"What's going on?" I rolled my window up when someone asking for help got too close for comfort._

 _"It's a virus outbreak. We need to stay calm and level headed, you hear me? Both of you?" My Uncle tapped Mia on her shoulder to get her attention._

 _We pulled the truck up on the lawn and parked it behind the house. Our Uncle unlocked the back door and we piled inside. "Lock all the windows and doors, close all the curtains."_

 _I did as my uncle said and Mia sat shivering in fear in the couch. I couldn't deny that my heart was racing in fear and my skin was covered in goosebumps._

 _Once everything was shaded and locked my Uncle brung us into the living room and turned on the television. He instructed us to always keep the sound so low that we could barely hear it and we watched the broadcasts for the rest of the night. There were screams and car alarms going off in the distance._

 _"There's nothing we can do about anything now. We just have to live like every minute matters. We have to be safe and we have to be smart. We have to survive, this is what I've been preparing for." Uncle Joe said as he wrapped his arms around both of us._

 _Mia had stopped crying and her head was resting against Uncle Joe. Now, it was me with tears rolling down my cheeks._


	33. All Good Things Must Come to an End

I was riding piggy back on 10K as we neared the coordinates of the CDC, where we would finish our mission to deliver Murphy.

I would actually miss the guy if that made any sense. I could tell he was scared about his future the further we got. It was written all over his face. He caught me staring at him and rolled his eyes at me, matching my stare. I ignored his attempt at throwing me attitude and instead, I gave him a genuine smile. It took him a moment to process but eventually, he returned the gesture and it was just as genuine.

I planted a few small kisses on 10K's neck as he trotted along. He smiled back at me.

"Do you guys ever stop?" Addy laughed, smacking my ass as she walked by.

I hopped off 10K and ran a few paces to catch up with her. "So, the mission is almost complete. Any big plans?"

"Oh you know, go to Vegas, win big and blow it all on Cocaine and women." She replied with a smile.

"That sounds like an adventure! Don't count me out." I replied.

Her face fell for a moment as realization fell in. "If Mack was still here, I'd make him dress up as Elvis, I would tease my hair out and we would get married in a cheesy chapel."

"I wouldn't miss it for the world." I wrapped my arm around her shoulders.

"This is supposed to be the place." Warren's voice held shock when we came upon an old wooden shop.

"Clearly, there's no military here. It looks like we missed them, time to go." Murphy tried to walk away but Vasquez stepped in his way.

We came this far and we all decided it was worth a shot. Our guns were ready as we stepped up to the door of the shop. Vasquez swung it open and we expected to see a room full of undead. Instead, we found ourselves faced with a stout little women who was standing behind the counter.

"Welcome, would you like some tea?" She asked in a polite voice.

Certainly, this was more than weird and all of us were being cautious. This just didn't feel right. The place was definitely old and run down but stocked in the ways of farming tools and there was food.

We all sat down with our tea and were filled in on this little operation. Apparently, this was the place that was looking for The Murphy. The women went by Auntie and she was pretty badass. Hopelessly, many people have been through here passing off sick and weird people as The Murphy and Auntie had to fight them off.

10K's fingers were laced with mine as we shared a cup of tea. His hands were warm and rough and I didn't mind one bit. When I was with 10K I felt better than I had in a long time but still, there was always a feeling of emptiness. I'm sure we all felt it.

BANG BANG

"WE GOT YOUR MURPHY AND WE ARE HERE TO COLLECT." A voice shouted from the other side of the door.

Auntie explained to us that they were bounty hunters trying to fake her out. With a pull of a lever, she revealed her impressive gun collection.

Before we were all prepared, gun fire began. We were all ducking low and using old furniture as shields. We were half successful at finding good shots through the cracks in the boarded up windows.

"Be smart!" Vasquez ordered as we moved about, finding new targets.

I was reloading my gun when I felt my body fill with pressure. I could feel the burst of energy in my hands and feet. The only way I could explain the episode was to say all my pent up emotions were trying to escape my physical body. This was all triggered by the sound of gun fire, which caused giant frustration. I loathed being involved in yet another shoot out with living people. My gun was loaded and I looked up at 10K who was standing a few inches away from me, trying to get a good shot with his sniper rifle. I turned to face the window, my gun resting on the lower piece of wood in a crack. As I was trying to get a good shot, I saw a man aiming his large gun into the small wooden shack. I turned noticing exactly where the bullet was about to head. I left my gun on the floor as I jumped up from my sitting position and stood in the path of 10K's rifle.

"Cora, get down! I was about to shoot." That was the last thing I heard in full volume. 10K's voice.

The man had fired his gun and as I saw beforehand, his bullet was headed straight for Tommy. I blocked its path with my own body. As I laid there, in a puddle of blood, I knew I would never have it play out any differently. Life became blurry, shapes were meshing with other shapes and before long all I could see were shades of different colors. There were no solids left. The buzzing that took over was deafening. Although, I couldn't really tell if I was hearing a buzzing noise or if the silence was just that loud.

I felt someone grab my hand and grip it tight. That's all I could feel as I closed my eyes. I wasn't fighting hard, to be honest I wasn't fighting at all. The bullet had made it through my chest and there was no way to reverse the hard lead piercing my heart.

My actions were for 10K but I would be lying if I said I didn't do this for myself also. Some people were cut out for this kind of world but I would never be one of them. I didn't want to fight other people for my survival. I didn't value my survival enough to make that effort. These people were meant to be here, surviving, helping people and completing missions I couldn't care much less about. I loved 10K and I hoped he understood that but I couldn't fully love him, not now, not ever because I didn't fully love myself. The emptiness inside of me was mean and raw, it was something that could engulf my whole being some days without a warning.

I'd be lying again if I said I didn't want it to be this way, because I did. Eventually, it would have been either way. So, dying in place of someone that I love, someone who cares and who is capable of making a change in a world that has gone to hell. Yes. That death is a death I would take any day.

Now, let's just hope someone gives me mercy.

A/N: Thank you to everyone who have and will review, read and favorite this story. It means a lot that I could write something that even one other person enjoyed.


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